Bossk - .1
QnotQ Records - 2006
By Philip Whitehouse
Hailing from the less-than-sunny climes of Ashford, Kent (UK),
Bossk represent England's latest entry into the post-rock/slowcore/instru-metal/whatever we're calling it this week landscape. Consisting of two tracks that take up a bladder-troubling 35 minutes between them,
.1 takes its influences mainly from the likes of
Isis'
Panopticon opus as well as from similar English bands like
Una Corda and
Symmetry.
One of the most pleasing things I noticed about this release is that there's actually some real dynamic range to the production - the quiet parts are
actually quiet, rather than being pumped to the same high-volume level by a brick-wall limiter at the mastering stage. This helps the songs immensely, since the impact of heavy guitars avalanching down after a nine-minute twinkly build-up is infinitely more impressive when the power chords actually sound louder than a clean-picked note. The drums sound punchy and clear too, although the distorted guitar tone could do with a bit more warmth and a little less crunch to these ears.
The two songs on offer unfold pretty much as you'd expect them to if you've heard anything in this particular sub-genre in the past - melodic delay-ridden clean guitar work and gradually building harmonic interplays giving way to crushing guitars, songs developing as though pulled by tidal forces rather than guided by conventional song-structure - there's even some gruff,
Isis-esque hardcore shouting at the end of
'II' to truly anchor
Bossk as firmly part of 'the scene', if not leaders of it. A rewarding listen, then, but nothing particularly out of the ordinary for this style.
6.5/10
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Bossk's Official Website
QnotQ Records' Official Website
