It was obvious something special was incoming after Boss Keloids ‘Herb Your Enthusiasm’ blew minds wide open. Complete with bizarre time signatures, their unique approach to stoner doom gleefully crushed everything else and sounded utterly unique. While I was expecting the band to follow up with another belter of an album, I was surprised on the sharp left turn and the redefining of their sound that would get them there. Still bizarre and heavy as a concrete rhino, the band has abandoned doom altogether not just for a much more joyful, wholesome sounding record, but for a much more expansive body of work that fizzes with invention and possibility.
The opening track and lead single ‘Chronosiam’ showcases this evolution right off the bat, with the crunchy vocal phrasing… ‘I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for me, picking up pieces from the dirt’ there to meditate on in the midst the off-kilter sludge. Actually, there are lyrics sung here like ‘There’s no fun in the game if your always the winner’ that ring with the same life-affirming conviction reminiscent of Lemmy. ‘Have you ever hated something that you should love? Unconditional?’, the album is full of these memorable lines, but it wouldn't be so effective if it wasn’t for the psychedelic riffing in weird time signatures. Take ‘Tarku Shavel’, it begins with light, chirpy chords hopping across the fretboard while the vocals sing as if there isn’t a worry in the world and ends in a colossal groove fit to bathe in. ‘Puykruve’ showcases luscious percussion underneath some truly delicious guitar playing, and when the heavy groove comes back, an awesome breakout guitar lead just RIPS when the song reaches it’s crescendo - ‘Deviate from all the worry, I get the feeling that I watch you fly away.’
Keyboards usually have a difficult time in metal but certainly not in the world of prog where thr rules are thrown out of the window. In these soundscapes the keys add textures that accentuate the atmosphere and add depth to be uncovered excitedly in the following listens. And there will be more listens, clocking just over 40 minutes the record just whizzes past you’ll find yourself wanting to take this musical journey all over again. It’s headache inducing to think this could be a disappointment to anyone, especially as the closing refrains of ‘Logannok’ just crushes like a motherfucker. In defying expectations and staying true to themselves, Boss Keloid have pulled out one of this years most exciting albums that will have fans of progressive music foaming at the mouth.
9/10 – Michael Randall
You can listen and buy 'Melted On The Inch' over on Bandcamp: https://bosskeloid.bandcamp.com/album/melted-on-the-inch
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