Formed in Sheffield in 2016, post-black metal purveyors Ba’al soon established themselves as one of the more captivating acts of the UK underground scene. With two impressive EPs and a well received debut, 2020’s Ellipsism, to their name, Ba’al have now produced what is arguably their most emotive, immersive and breathtaking work to date. Effortlessly merging black metal, post-metal, djent and ambient stylings, on The Fine Line Between Heaven And Here, the steel city quintet have created a deeply affecting sound that is uniquely their own. Indeed, trying to categorise this album becomes a futile gesture, as these songs transcend all the trappings of their associated genres. This is music that cuts so much deeper, played with a searing authenticity and passion.
The epic “Mother’s Concrete Womb” opens the album, its melancholic intro filled with wistful keys and ambient sounds exploding into a colossal emotional beast, adorned with devastating black metal screams and crunchy riffing, textured throughout with highly melodic arpeggios and an undercurrent of expressive bass playing. And the lyrics; man, the lyrics. The words that accompany the songs on this album are pure poetry: ‘Close this book and look to the skies/Where the stars are drowned by artificial light/Childhood stories were but hollow tales/Fantasy weaved inside of a veil’ croons vocalist Joe Stamps in sensitive clean, heartbreaking tones.
At a relatively short seven and a half minutes, “Floral Cain” is a pulsating juggernaut of a track, loaded with jagged riffs, discordant phrases, blastbeats and repeated, catchy melodic phrases. The bands ever present undercurrent of melancholy is here throughout, particularly in the song’s quieter middle passage as Stamps implores “They think this virtue, they think this right to do/But the silence before, the deafening silence/A silence that bores deep into the soul and blackens once starlit eyes”. This is a vocalist baring their soul, a band bringing their deep feelings to life via sounds and textures. Other highlights include the remarkable guitar work of the album’s emotional centrepiece.
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“Well Of Sorrows”, undoubtedly one of the most gorgeous songs you’re likely to hear all year, with its gut wrenching outro that hears Stamps screaming ‘take my hand’ over and over, fading into the abyss. Similarly, the guitar interplay and shifting rhythms of the thirteen minute epic “The Ocean That Fills The Wound” are absolutely captivating, indicative of a band at the peak of their powers. Producer Joe Clayton has to be mentioned here, having wonderfully captured the band’s diverse dynamic range to mesmerising effect. From the album’s gentlest to its loudest cacophonic moments every note has been captured in crystal clear detail.
Comparisons have already been made to bands such as Amenra and Deafheaven, but it’s arguable that Ba’al have written songs that not only equal their influences, but in fact surpass them. Indeed, it’s Ba’al’s wider range of sound and emotional depth that raises them above the aforementioned bands. Yes,the hallmarks of black and post-metal are all present, but so are touches of Sigur Ros, Cult Of Luna, Smashing Pumpkins and Rolo Tomassi. Indeed, where many post black metal bands often deal only in the black and white, the oscillations between quiet and loud, Ba’al paint in rich technicolour on a widescreen canvas, delivering a rich dynamic tapestry of sound that sets them far apart from their peers.
Thoughtfully written, devastatingly emotional and expertly performed, The Fine Line Between Heaven and Here is without doubt one of the strongest album of the year contenders released thus far.
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The Fine Line Between Heaven And Here is released on July 18th
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