ALBUM REVIEW: Ellipsism – Ba’al

If there’s one band in the UK right now who could provide the soundtrack to a year that’s been rife with despair, misery and the fear of the unknown, it’s BA’AL. Specialising in crafting the blackened equivalent of a particularly violent funeral dirge, the Sheffield quartet have long been tipped by those with their ear to the UK underground, and on debut full-length Ellipsism it’s incredibly easy to see why.

Roaring out of the traps with ferocious vitriol, BA’AL make their intentions crystal clear from the very first notes of the record. Long Live‘s demonic shrieks are partially shrouded by an atmospheric veil that cloaks the vast canvas in mystery, as if concealing some dark presence just waiting to crawl from the shadows. This full-frontal assault on the senses is made all the more crushing by a thunderous accompaniment of razor-sharp guitars, ominous drums and a rumbling bass tone that combine perfectly to result in a fully fleshed-out, monolithic-yet-methodical hammer blow of an opening salvo.

The dynamic range on display in the early stages of the album is something to behold, and as the record gathers momentum it’s evident that this isn’t just all post metal bleakness with an inky black metal coating. An Orchestra of Flies features genuinely groove-laden passages, surrounded by a thick, sludgy outer layer of doom that pulls you into its mire and doesn’t let go. This variety, even within confines that can often become limited in the wrong hands, is an excellent achievement, demonstrating the skill of a group of musicians who are able to craft fragmented yet coherent slabs of sorrow with apparent ease.

It would be a stretch to call any of this uplifting, but there are fleeting glimpses of light within the dark; shards of expansive, ALCEST-like pillars of soaring, melodic stairways reaching skyward in an attempt to ascend above the murkiness below. The interludes (of which there are three) serve their purpose pretty perfectly – on one hand a reprieve from the oppression and on the other a causeway to another circle of eternal damnation. These crucial little cogs within the wider maelstrom of depravity keep things ticking along and keep the record on course, allowing for reflective little detours without ever leading the album down the wrong path.

Jouska implements a slow-build approach before erupting into full blown pandemonium, aided by the record’s excellent production which expertly straddles the line between sharp clarity and crushing, lo-fi melancholy without ever straying too far in either direction. It’s a similar story on the final stand of Rosalia – a track that runs the gauntlet of the calm before the storm before plunging into the swirling vortex itself with reckless abandon. Dynamically it’s a further step-up from anything else on the record (and anything in BA’AL’s back catalogue) to date, twisting, turning and convulsing from its beautifully porcelain-like instrumentation to a whole new level of smothering oppression.

With this debut full-length, BA’AL have taken major strides towards establishing themselves as one of the most exciting heavy bands in Europe in 2020. There are no radical genres mash-ups here, nothing that’s unlike anything that’s come before, but the quality on display is sky-high throughout and lifts this above 95% of the band’s contemporaries in a single, devastating swoop.

To say the future is bright wouldn’t be particularly in keeping with BA’AL‘s aesthetic, so we’ll simply say this – whatever happens next could prove to be wonderfully hellish and disgustingly bleak in equal measure. And as the winter months start to close in, who wouldn’t want a piece of that?

Rating: 9/10

Ellipsism is out now via Clobber Records.

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