Boris - Dear (Sargent House) 2017
8
If their decision to name the first single off their 20th album after the title of their first wasn’t enough of a giveaway, let us be blunt –there’s some old-school BORIS going on right here. Subsonic tectonics from Wata and Takeshi, a measured but utterly devastating kit-rattling from Atsuo and enough of a dreamlike ambience to remind listeners of just how far this band have come, it’s the perfect way to celebrate being at the forefront of heaviness for 25 years. It’s hard to call Dear an ambitious album as much of what’s on offer has been heard, in part, before and yet it’s undoubtedly a courageous move, unafraid to layer softly whispered passages and granite-hewn riffing or throw a deliciously poppy vocal effort on top of sparsely-populated guitarscapes. It’s everything they’ve ever done yet it sounds like none of it, and considering how long they’ve been playing this game with unwary fans, that’s mighty impressive.