Band:	Botanist
Album:	Paleobotany
Style:	Experimental black metal
Release date:	May 2024

01. Aristolochia
02. When Forests Turned To Coal
03. Magnolia
04. Archaeamphora
05. The Impact That Built The Amazon
06. Sigillaria
07. Strychnos Electri
08. Wollemia Nobilis
09. Dioon
10. Royal Protea

The black metal plant worshippers Botanist have travelled back to the Jurassic period to become Palaeobotanists; with this comes a slight change in their music style.

As far as I know, Botanist are not dedicated to the scientific study of plants, but are rather an experimental black metal band whose themes tend to relate closely to subjects of nature, ecology, and misanthropy, which. in the world of extreme metal music, is close enough in my eyes. Since emerging onto the scene back in 2009, the California-based project has offered an unorthodox and experimental approach to black metal that's unlike anything heard before. Although the foundation of their music has roots in Nordic black metal, 2 of the band's members (founder Otrebor and recent recruit Randall Krieger) use 110-string hammered dulcimers, with the aim of creating an organic and authentic naturist sound, which is then modernized by distorting through amplifiers, strongly contributing towards the band's signature style and sound.

Returning only a year following VIII: Selenotrope, the band now present their twelfth full-length release, Paleobotany. They maintain their trademark naturist theme, only this time journeying back 70 million years to when dinosaurs roamed the Earth, and many plants grew much larger than their descendants today. The album's theme leads up to the catastrophic events of the Chicxulub asteroid impact, with lyrics revolving around various prehistoric species of plants. Music-wise, this latest offering delivers a complex sound that incorporates progressive, avant-garde, and post-metal elements. Whilst heavier blackened elements such as harsh vocals and blast beats are still featured, they've taken a step back and are far less involved in the overall songwriting compared with previous efforts, making this the band's most easily digestible and accessible effort to date.

From the off, this album's softer-than-before approach is evident on opening track "Aristolochia". This song begins with quite a stylistic, groovy rhythm section, accompanied by well-performed clean singing and backing vocals; the instrumentation is generally quite soft and tranquil at this stage, sounding post-metal orientated with a slight hint of folk, and there's some quite striking melodies to be heard. It isn't long until harsh growls take over from the cleans, and with that the instrumentation makes a sudden change in tempo, turning faster and heavier. This is the style by which most of the album goes by, but there are plenty of experimental moments, and various twists and turns, along the way, although to anyone familiar with the band, this should come as no real surprise.

Support my earlier statement that this album is Botanist's softest and lightest to date are songs such as "Archaeamphora", "The Impact That Built The Amazon", and "Sigillaria", all of which have a tendency to hold back on the blackened elements. "The Impact That Built The Amazon", for instance, opts for a slightly trippy dreamy atmosphere, with softly building folkish instrumentation and an echoing symphonic choir in the background, although this is a relatively short track that acts more as an interlude than anything else. "Sigillaria", on the other hand, is the lengthiest track on the album at over 7 minutes, almost doubling the length of most other featured songs. Here, there is hardly a growl or a shriek to be heard, nor a single blast beat; its soundscapes are more base in post-metal, containing uplifting melancholic harmonies and an overall spiritual vibe.

Despite these softer examples, there are still elements of black metal to be heard across the rest of Paleobotany, such as on "Wollemia Nobilis". This song is by far the heaviest and most blackened on the album, mostly driven by a rampant ferocious tempo powered by a furious blasting rhythm section, along with complex dissonance provided by the distorted dulcimers. The core style of this track is unlike those previously mentioned; despite being one of the shorter ones here, its structure is surprisingly complex and avant-garde. "Dioon" has a similar approach, although the harsh vocals sound even more menacing, echoing in the mix behind the mind-boggling dissonant instrumentation. Sinister chants also add an eerie ritualistic effect, and the soft vocals towards the end finish the song off in such a haunting manner.

Paleobotany is an album that marks an impressive 15-year streak of great authenticity and uniqueness from Botanist, despite being one of the band's softst and most accessible efforts to date. How often do you hear of a black metal band that choose to swap dulcimers for electric guitars? And how many black metal bands are there that swap themes of Satanism for the worship of Prehistoric plants? Botanist does just that, and guess what? It really does work well.