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Bölzer Lese Majesty review

Bölzer is a band that's been on my Necro-Radar since their 2013 Aura EP, a pummeling three tracks of black/death metal roaring against a relentless barrage of weird chord structures and blistering drums. I was even more impressed to learn Bölzer's mammoth sound is created by a power duo. In this case, a drummer and 10-string guitar-wielding madman for a vocalist, Okoi Jones, who cranks out those bizarre melodies and tortured yells. Gruesome twosomes of this sort have become more common in extreme music lately, but Bölzer's sound is certainly in a class of its own. 

Their newest release, Lese Majesty is a heavy metal quickie, with three complete songs and one instrumental interlude. It's also the first to be released on Bölzer's very own Lightning & Sons label. 

Bölzer describe themselves as an artistic project, albeit an extreme one. Indeed, Lese Majesty plays like an abstract painting. It's filled with abrasive textures and esoteric lyrics whose true meanings might only known by its composers. But this album blissfully speeds ahead, and revels in its own arcane mythos. The listener is left to make sense of it, a lot like a David Lynch movie, actually. Lese Majesty contains some seriously heavy groove for the drumming to show off, with Motörhead style double bass, blast beats, and groovy jazz fills on the toms. 

The opening track, "A Shephard In Wolven Skin" whirls into being with a meaty, galloping guitar rhythm, interwoven with twangy hooks and dissonant passages. It's a bit long at nine minutes, but also unfolds like a classical piece of music. The band do a solid effort of exploring and elaborating this number's musical motifs. The vocals are excellent, when they're belted out in harsh screams. However, Okoi sometimes changes to clean singing, and I'm not really sold on it. The singing comes off as underwhelming compared to the growls, but in fairness I usually hold this opinion in most cases (and by "most cases" I mean, Opeth.) Pick one or the other! 

 Another strong track is "Into The Temple Of Spears." Again, one of my only complaints is that it switches between growls and clean singing. The effect is a bit distracting, and ultimately takes away from what I consider to be the standout song on this record.

Overall, this album has nasty chops, but struck me as a bit unfocused in some areas.
The Grim One still suggests this album for fans of progressive death metal and innovative black metal. The world of Bölzer is a strange, but delightful place in extreme music. 
Listen to more Bölzer here.

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