Ever wonder what would happen if Meshuggah and Nero di Marte had a baby? Just me? Well the answer to my personal fan fiction is Barús. Throw in a dash of Triptykon and perhaps even a touch of Living Sacrifice's The Hammering Process and you have yourself a recipe for some truly unique progressive death metal. Between the pulsating riffs and unusual melodies, these 4 songs are surely but a taste of what is to come from a promising future.
Let me take a moment to explain the previous references. The riffs of Barús have the same crunchy, groovy qualities known well to Meshuggah. Furthermore, there is an almost industrial quality to certain rhythms. But when this technical drumming joins with the murky, isolated atmosphere; the end result brought to mind Living Sacrifice more than once. Tom G. Warrior could have also made a home in this “Temple of Depression.” Barús keep compositions moving through this aesthetic with tons of hooks that ebb and flow with nary a hiccup to be found. The hauntingly dark patchwork of doomy, post-metal riffs, particularly on “Cherub,” scream Nero di Marte; but it's the way that the drawn-out clean vocals waver on atypical melodies that first brought the comparison to mind.
"But, Flight," you're undoubtedly saying to your screen, "Why should I bother with something that is already done by existing bands?" Well, Dave, let me put it this way. The 9000 series is the most reliable computer ever made. No 9000 computer has ever made a mistake or distorted information. We are all, by any practical definition of the words, foolproof and incapable of error. Sci fi nerd jokes aside, Barús have a sound all their own. Barús is Voltran. It's the death metal Megazord. When the elements align, the end result is an entirely different beast. Ever had Ben & Jerry's “Half Baked?” If so, I dare you to tell me that eating regular old cookie dough or brownie ice cream is still just as satisfying.
Take, for instance, the core riff of “Tarot.” It certainly has familiar qualities, but both the structure and production lead to something that is still quite fresh. When my iPod is on shuffle, it's something I will hear and immediately say, “f!@# yeah! Barús!” The later portions of “Chalice” also seem to infuse Enslaved's Monumension into Nothing with an outcome that should be a bloody mess...but isn't. Quite to the contrary, it's genius.
On a final note, I'm a frugal person by nature. If I'm going to buy music, I want to know that I'm not buying a carbon copy of something I already own. So take it as high praise that I have listened to most of these bands for over a decade and still had to have this EP. I implore you to check this out on bandcamp ASAP. As an added incentive, it's a Name Your Price release. Sure, you could download it for free, but I'm sure you could spare at least a dollar or two for some killer progressive metal.
