Wednesday 7 November 2018

BAST - Nanoångström (Album Review)


Release date: November 23rd 2018. Label: Black Bow Records. Format: CD/DD/Vinyl

Nanoångström – Tracklisting

Distant Suns
Far Horizons
The Beckoning Void
Nanoångström
A Red Line through Black
The Ghosts which Haunt the Space Between the Stars

Members

Craig Bryant
Jon Lee
Gavin Thomas

Review

Bast return after a lengthy five year absence with their new album – Nanoångström. The band made a great impression with their debut album Spectres back in the day. Their blend of ice-cold Doom/Sludge Metal was matched against a pitch black progressive Post-Black Metal sound.

Spectres was one of my albums of the year when it was released in 2014. Now the band have returned and it feels like they have a few scores to settle. As this album is angry as they come.

Opening song Distant Suns is a subtle post-rock song with trippy ambient heavy interludes. This is a very cool sounding song that offers a brief glimmer of hope amongst the darkness Bast create from here on in.

Second song – Far Horizons – is a blackened doomed/sludge metal song that has elements of their previous album but with a thicker and heavier progressive sound. The song moves from gloomy post-rock atmospheres and soaring melodies that YOB are known for. The vocals are superbly sung as they move from death based growls to a more melodic clean based style.

Third song – The Beckoning Void – opens with a thrashier riff spliced with an unstoppable blackened Doom/Sludge riff. The song is relentless as Bast start to add strands of Psychedelic noises into the mix. The song could have easily run out of steam but Bast show enough musical creativity to keep the mood vibrant throughout the almost eleven minute running time.

Fourth song – Nanoångström – is the standout song on the album and I can see why the band named the album after this song. As this song shows Bast at their majestic best. With the band playing a non-stop onslaught of Post-Black Metal and Progressive Doom/Sludge Metal. Though Bast still offer moments of helpful Post-Rock passages amongst the darkness. The song shows the band creating an epic cinematic song that’s quite unforgiving in places.

As with the other songs on the album the final two songs – A Red Line Through Black and The Ghosts Which Haunt the Space Between the Stars – both run past or near the ten minute mark. This perhaps the heaviest and gloomiest parts of the album. As Bast finish the album on an almighty high. The heavy progressive sounds of Bast have a real purpose and sense of urgency that make you quite sad when the album actually ends.

The production on this album is simply stunning and you can feel every hypnotic bleak and heavy sound coming from all corners. Bast have delivered the goods again with this album and one that will rightfully claim this album as one of the best albums of the year. Even this late into the game.

Nanoångström is a thrilling and breath-taking album.

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Curtis at Dewar PR for the promo. Nanoångström will be available to buy on CD/DD/Vinyl via Black Bow Records from November 23rd 2018.

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