Bast - Spectres - review
Bast - Spectres - review
Tracklist
01. In The Beginning02. Denizens
03. Spectres
04. Psychonauts
05. Outside The Circles Of Time
A review by
Auntie Sahar March 26, 2014
With Spectres, Bast make it clear that they're skilled in the art of sonic sculpting, artists with good attention to aural satisfaction and pleasing the senses. There are some moments that are indeed quite black metal-ish, like on opener "In The Beginning," and contain your more or less average tremolo picking, shrieks, and blast beats, that further transition into some heavier, more monotonous moments to complete the BM/doom union. So, at first glance, it comes across as pretty generic for its style: not bad, per se, just nothing new.
But this first track is a mask of sorts, that covers up and somewhat deceives as to the real meat of the album and the excellent songwriting dwelling within it. For Bast are by no means here to just barrage your eardrums with BM riffs and pulsating doom. Much like Dolorian and The Ruins Of Beverast, these guys are actually one of the better blackened doom bands, who thankfully give just as much attention to creating a soul sucking vortex of sorrowful melody as they do to cranking out hard-hitting bangers. "Outside The Circles Of Time," the amazing instrumental "Psychonauts," and plenty of moments on the other tracks display a sophisticated knowledge of atmosphere, and how to construct it around the heavier elements to help everything peak at just the right moment. All the trails Bast create, so to speak, seem to ultimately build to some sort of climax, instead of just leading nowhere, and the ending of the album is not at all disappointing.
With Spectres, Bast inject some fresh, new blood into the blackened doom style, creating an album that strikes a very commendable balance between the two, without really seeming to move too far in either direction. Many blackened doom bands tend to either sit in an extreme doom position, or a slow, heavy black metal style, opting for more of one over the other. Not so with Bast. They've found their happy medium between the two, and oh boy, is it tasty. Serious contender for debut AOTY.
Ready to meet some specters?
Rating breakdown
| Performance: | 9 |
| Songwriting: | 9 |
| Originality: | 8 |
| Production: | 9 |
Written by Auntie Sahar | March 26, 2014
Rating:
8.5
8.5
|
Rating:
8.5 |
Alright, viewers. Today we are going to cook something a little different. You remember the Pate de canard en croute? Well this is going to be even more complicated than that. Get your ingredients ready, because dishing out a proper Bast Spectres takes a lot of them. Serves: Hundreds of hungry metal fans across subgenres Read more ›› |
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Great review, I concur.
---- Daily underground metal recommendations at Metal Trenches. Watch metal content on the Metal Trenches YouTube Channel.
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Posts: 5989 Written by flightoficarus on 04.02.2015 at 22:34 Thanks man, can't wait to see 'em at Roadburn this year! 
---- I am the Magician and the Exorcist. I am the axle of the wheel, and the cube in the circle. “Come unto me” is a foolish word: for it is I that go. ~ II. VII
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| Posts: 1127 |
Posts: 1127 Written by Auntie Sahar on 04.02.2015 at 22:36 Lucky, I haven't been to a metal show in years.
---- Daily underground metal recommendations at Metal Trenches. Watch metal content on the Metal Trenches YouTube Channel.
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Posts: 15358
Slow in checking this out, glad i did thus far. only checked out the two tracks today, but will be sure to spin it more heavily over the next week.
---- get the fuck off my lawn. Beer Bug Virus Spotify Playlist crafted by Nikarg and I. Feel free to tune in and add some pertinent metal tunes!
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Posts: 9125 Written by BitterCOld on 06.02.2015 at 01:03 Even I enjoyed, so it's safe to say it'll be to your liking 
---- My Author's Blog (in French)  "You must stay drunk on writing so reality cannot destroy you" "I've lost too many years now I'm stealing back my soul I am awake"
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