BMT, Round 1: Boris At Last: Feedbacker vs Soma

[babyBlueSedan]

Round 1 Matchup:

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Boris At Last: -Feedbacker- by Boris

(nominated by HazeyTwilight)

vs.

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Soma by Windhand

(nominated by babyBlueSedan)



<Poll will close in one week>
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And it's hard to be a human being. And it's harder as anything else.

[babyBlueSedan]

This is probably the hardest matchup for me yet. On one hand, you have one of my picks, a cool stoner doom album I happened to discover recently. Though it's not terribly out of the ordinary as far as the genre goes, I love the murky, dual tracked vocals, which make it feel lighter despite how heavy it is. I also love the track Evergreen, as well as the drone outro. Both are softer and incredibly hypnotic.

On the other hand you have possibly my favorite metal band, though an album that likely isn't my favorite from them. I think Boris did the drone - buildup - metal songs formula better on Flood, but listening to this one again made me realize I had forgotten how good it is.

Not sure how I'll vote yet. Leaning towards Boris right now but that could very well change.

EDIT: 4 minutes into another listen of Feedbacker I voted for Boris and decided they're definitely my favorite metal band.
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And it's hard to be a human being. And it's harder as anything else.

[HazeyTwilight]

I liked Soma for what it is - and that being a good entry in the doom metal genre. It's heaviness and energy is what drew me into this album. Though, one huge drawback that prevented from enjoying it fully was the fact that some of the ideas wore themselves thin rather quickly and, therefore, the songs dragged on longer than they should.

Boris at Last -Feedbacker-, however, is one of my favourite albums ever (at least in this current stage of my music listening experience). And I'm not saying that because it's one of my picks. From the moment those droning and atmospheric chords in the beginning hit you with some minimal yet effective guitar lines added to bring about its colour, really sets yourself up for a washed out exploration of sound. And when those splashing drums kick in, it spirals into a beautiful wall-of-sound that permeates throughout the rest of the album. It utilises feedback greatly, either as Wata's guitar flourishes with more composed lead work; or as the chords get more drenched in reverb and distortion; or as the drums play more intricate and heart-pounding fills - all of which leads to a harmonious cacophony of noise. It really is an experience that should be heard in full.

Pretty obvious but easy choice. My vote goes to Boris.
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[babyBlueSedan]

Boris wins, 8-2
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And it's hard to be a human being. And it's harder as anything else.