ALBUM REVIEW: Meditations – Bong-Ra

Doom metal, free jazz, electronic. No, these are not three random genres picked out of a hat. They are instead the genres that have been melded together on BONG-RA‘s new release Meditations, a heady concoction of monolithic and ritualistic experimentations.  The follow up to 2018’s Antediluvian, this appears at first glance to be just the second BONG-RA release, but it may shock you to find out that these two records actually signal a whole new direction for the veteran and pioneer that is sole member Jason Kohnen. A frontrunning proponent in the harsh electronic sub-genre of breakcore, BONG-RA has been spreading chaos since 1998. Seven albums and 20 years later, 2018 saw the end of that chapter so he could return to his original passion for doom.

Sure enough, Courage opens Meditations with a drawn out sigh of atmospheric drone, before collapsing in on itself like a dying star with creeping vengeance. Sounding remarkably similar to YOB‘s Burning The Altar, it’s obvious that BONG-RA understands the assignment. That’s not to say this is a direct copy, as the sound is a bit more haunting and unfurls to reveal bright, frenetic brass movements, via a middle section that sounds like it’s been inspired by Mediterranean and Middle Eastern influences. But it is that final stretch of free jazz saxophone that stands out as one of the most stirring moments on the record. Bewildering in its scope and execution, it’s a feature that will still catch you off guard on your repeated playthroughs.

Wisdom follows in similar fashion, albeit with a dungeon vibe mixed in. The bass is so slow you can practically hear the strings rattling off the neck. The ambient drone layered with delicately plucked strings and the return of those intoxicating saxophones makes for a textured listen that will reveal something new in itself each time you return, before building to a cataclysmic head that sees the instrumentation pushed to its limit, but without allowing the wheels to come off.

The back half of the record, consisting of Justice and Temperance takes on a much more Eastern influence, and the former provides some sort of refuge; a calmer shelter amidst the torrent of genre-mashing. The latter though picks up right where Wisdom left off and folds some horrific electronic screeches of feedback into the mix to add that final pinch of sonic terror to an understatedly extreme release. 

Now some of the doom purists amongst you may be saying “this isn’t doom” but let’s look at the checklist: four songs spread across nearly 40 minutes? Check. Passages that are as heavy as a boulder careening down a mountainside? You bet. A sense of dread woven throughout the fabric of the instruments, whatever they may be? Undoubtedly. In summary, this is a spectacular doom release that borrows from a catalogue of diverse genres and musical forms to prove once again that pigeonholing yourself into preconceived notions of what a genre should be is folly.

A great continuation of this newest chapter in BONG-RA‘s storied career, Meditations sees Jason Kohnen grab the niche he has carved himself with fervour and really run with it. Blasting away the pre-conceived notions of what a doom record should be, this is a release that is as peculiar as it is solid, and another sterling reminder that we need more saxophones in metal.

Rating: 7/10

Meditations is set for release on August 5th via Tartarus Records.

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