Tuesday 20 November 2018

BISMUT - Schwerpunkt (Album Review)


Release date: November 26th 2018. Label: Lay Bare Recordings (Vinyl Only). Format: CD/DD/Vinyl

Schwerpunkt – Tracklisting

1.Borgerskapet 13:49
2.Stórborg
3.Gewapende Magte
4.Czar

Members

Huibert - bass
Peter - Drums
Nik - guitar

Review

BISMUT debut album – Schwerpunkt – is a mixture of many different styles such as Prog Rock, Doom, Desert Rock, Stoner, Jazz, Psych and Hard Rock. I was expecting this album to your usual run-of-the-mill instrumental rock album. I was pleasantly surprised to see the band exploring many different musical avenues and making actual bold decisions with their music.

The first thing that stands out with BISMUT’s music is how complex the whole album actually sounds whilst still offering the listener a high amount of epic riffs. BISMUT are a highly talented power-trio and they incorporate that classic style of sound throughout the album. Schwerpunkt can be quite progressive and very surreal at times with the band opting for a heavier and distorted psychedelic sound.

Opening song – Borgerskapet – is a fourteen minute epic that sees BISMUT playing a different style of Psychedelic blend of Doom, Sludge and Stoner Rock. It may take a few minutes to fully get used to BISMUT style of music. As it’s quite different to other instrumental rock/metal bands. The sound is very organic and quite a dominant feel. It’s quite cold and calculating in places but the band still manage to create an exciting atmosphere that allows their music to be played naturally.

Second song – Stórborg – opens with a more psychedelic and ambient approach though with heavier strands of Sludge Rock slowly making a confident appearance. The Post-Rock/Post-Metal interludes interact superbly well with the Stoner based riffs as BISMUT change their overall sound to one of sonic experimentation. The production once again is very raw and maybe could have done with more volume being added to the overall mix. Though I did enjoy the overall bleakness of the actual album and that’s perhaps down to the production contained on the album.

Gewapende-Magte – carries on the bleak and heavy progressive themes of the previous track as BISMUT offer a more jazz orientated sound. The distorted and almost industrial delivery of the song allows the band to play a heavier and heartfelt sound. The song takes time in fully get going but this song perhaps contains the heaviest moments on the album.

The final song – Czar – has a more fast-paced approach but still maintaining the other’s tracks industrial based post-rock delivery. The album ends on a highly satisfying conclusion with BISMUT pulling out all of the stops in playing more complex sounding music that’s very hard to define or categorize at times.

Schwerpunkt is not your standard Instrumental Rock/Metal album and nor should it be. With a high amount of instrumental rock/metal bands releasing similar sounding albums, it’s good to hear a band releasing something different and genuinely exciting at the same time. Overall, Schwerpunkt is a well-made and thought-provoking album that is perhaps suited to the more adventurous Instrumental Rock/Metal fan.

Words by Steve Howe

Schwerpunkt will be available to buy on CD/DD from the band and Vinyl via Lay Bare Recordings from November 26th 2018.