"Dear" Marks A Return To Form For Boris

In 2014, legendary experimental rock/metal band Boris dropped their LP Noise, which received relatively mixed reviews from most critics. Their second major label album was seen as a bit too clean, lacking in the punch and passion of previous Boris releases. It wasn't quite the hollow indie pop of Attention Please, but it was nowhere near the triumphant doom and sludge metal of Pink. Noise felt overall like a weird amalgamation of Boris' greatest strengths and weaknesses; we got the powerful Heavy Rain ​right before the critically panned pop song Taiyo no Baka (a song which I admittedly like very much, but one that doesn't fit into the Boris milieu). After Noise, Boris spent their time touring and releasing collaborative efforts with Endon (the New Noise Literacy trio of urban dance, warpath, and asia), a conclusion to their experimental series The Thing Which Solomon Overlooked, and another collaboration with famed noise artist Merzbow (Gensho). Now in 2017, Boris returns to their sludge roots with Dear, an album which almost marked the band's retirement.

Up​on the announcement of Dear, Boris said that they had planned for it to be their final album. They felt that they had reached their natural conclusion as a band. However, touring had revitalized them. Instead they decided that Dear would be a love letter to their fans, a return to what they were so well-regarded for in the first place. To cement that statement, the first track they revealed was the immense Absolutego, named after the band's 1996 debut album.

Dear is full of Boris tropes, from soaring, epic vocals to blaring, distorted guitars. Digging a little deeper, though, the band is bringing some new innovation and subtle twists to the table this time around. The opening track D.O.W.N. is a thick drone, and a loud one at that. It builds up over time layering vocals and noise over the guitar and percussion core leading up to a chaotic climax. DEADSONG takes the drone formula and sees Boris dotting in howls and whispered vocals before Takeshi's trademark singing kicks in.

Dear isn't quite the heavy metal masterpiece fans of Pink may have been looking for, but it is a massive and powerful return to the sludgy doom drone the band is most well-known for. This album is slow, meticulous - it builds up with ear-shattering crescendos and triumphant lead vocals over thick waves of distortion-laden guitar and bass. At times it's epic, like the spacey Memento Mori or the twelve-minute slow burn Dystopia -Vanishing Point-. There are beautiful moments like with Biotope, and sinister ones like DEADSONG. 

​Dear ultimately stands as the ultimate representation of Boris as a band. It isn't their best album by far, with a few of the tracks verging on boring at times, but it's one of their most consistent and powerful records in a very long time. Besides, we all know that these songs will really shine in the live environment, so be sure to check out Boris' upcoming tour dates! In the meantime though, Dear is an essential addition to the Boris catalog; a fittingly personal love letter to those who have kept this band going during all the highs and lows of their extensive career.

-Justin

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Dear

1. D.O.W.N. -Domination of Waiting Noise-
2. DEADSONG
3. Absolutego
4. Beyond
5. Kagero
6. Biotope
7. The Power
8. Memento Mori
9. Dystopia -Vanishing Point-
10. Dear

Boris - Dear // Sargent House, 2017

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