Biesy’s Debut Will Leave You Fiendin’

August 10, 2017

4637

Polish black metal. Go on, you know it’s going to rule.

Again the door groans. Weakened rays of light strive to diffuse through a series of obstinate clouds, their perpetual grey blanket filtering out the day’s warmth and the night’s wonder. Offering not a drop of their vital liquid respite, lifelessly they hang, like a sponge long wrung dry at the hands of a dismayed sky. The barren expanse of concrete lay below; a coarse lifeless tongue, each of its cracks a ravine, ready to swallow even the slightest drizzle, sequestering it indefinitely deep in the cavernous underbelly. Uniformly parallel metal teeth sneer atop the thirsty blackened maw; a nearby drain taunts the firmament to weep once more.

Waves that once soothed the intermittent tumult of the land as they gently lapped the shore are drowned out by the monotonous buzz of a distant highway. The clangs of shifting steel pierce the static as they bounce from the all-enveloping masonry. The waft of exhaust that supplanted the morning breeze long ago stirs the dusts of mechanical friction, the spent energy powder coating the colour-bleached iris, fading it furthermore. Silos loom over the streets; staunch stolid statues, hoarding the inorganic fruits of their community’s combined labour. Their height a testament to the sacrifice of those who’ve toiled time away in the cold of their ever-stretching shadows.

Horizonless…ugh. I can’t do this anymore. It’s too depressing. No, not the subject matter of Biesy‘s upcoming debut album. It’s just that attempting to write ~~prose~~ text that conveys any semblance of the compelling nature of Biesy’s music is far beyond my reach. What’s the best way to describe their sound instead? Hmmm…guess I could opt for the easy method of name-dropping Deathspell Omega and Mgła, that seems to work for everyone else, right? Could probably bold their names as well, gotta garner the most amount of attention possible after all. Nah, that’d be cheap. Biesy sound much more like Odraza, Kriegsmaschine, and Outre anyway. I’ll mention them instead.

In fact, the reason you’ll hear stark similarities to the dark antipathy of Odraza and Outre’s sound is that Biesy share members with both bands. Now, I’ve never been to Poland, but it doesn’t take some highly incisive degree of perception or any wild leap in imagination to see that many of the bands from that region espouse similarly bleak (and subsequently misanthropic) views of modern society. Scandinavia may be renowned for producing the “coldest” black metal, but I think Eastern European bands tend to possess a coldness all of their own. An emotional coldness. Is it derived from some kind of nihilistic nonchalance? Complete detachment from hope in a post-‘post-war-hangover’-political climate? A hefty dose of realism? Whatever the case, its influence appears to be rife in the area, and is as evident as ever in the overall tone of Noc Lekkich Obyczajów. This is the kind of record that reveals more about the listener than the artist. While certainly minor in key, the melodic motifs possess an alluring ambiguity. Tenebrous riffing is complimented by vocals that opt toward scathing philosophical introspection, rather than comically theatrical emotive pangs about Satan, snow, and umm… Satan. Sorry Sweden, hard to take that shit seriously though.

There is a passage of text accompanying the promo for Noc Lekkich Obyczajów which sets the tone for the record’s concept, and unlike the vast majority of press kits it actually bears information worth relaying –

Biesy – translates to “fiends” from Polish – were born out of everyday working, urban and monotonous realities. The project explores how urban concrete life can separate you from reality, but at the same time enables you to cross its borders.This is not the place for faith – there is no time nor will. During the night people go astray and willingly drown among the masses on the streets. In the morning they fall down to create a passage for everything that is wonderfully common and hideously sincere. However, it is not certain if they even left the room.

The production of Noc Lekkich Obyczajów lies on the compressed side of things but it actually helps the record. The tightly compacted peaks and troughs really help to foster the cramped aesthetic Biesy were no doubt seeking to achieve on this album. With every beat the walls seem to close in, confining you within their concrete prison. Yes, it’s oppressive, but somehow this doesn’t really make for an overly daunting listen. While not quite as overtly wild as the recent Suffering Hour album, there are moments here that deftly combine that kind of mental off-kilter riffing with memorable fills that are impossible not to stomp along to. For example, album highlight “W Krew” basically covers enough sonic territory to be an EP of its own. Even if for some lame reason the embedded pre-release track “Powroty” isn’t compelling enough for you to pre-order this one, make sure you give Noc Lekkich Obyczajów the time it deserves upon release. You won’t be disappointed. Except with the futility of modern life. But hey, at least you’ll have an awesome album to slave away to.