Barus/Fanges/Aesthetic Death/Breathe Plastic/2021 EP Review

 

  France's  Barus  has  returned  with  a  new  recording  which  shows  the  music  going  for  more  of  an  atmospheric  and  progressive  form  of  blackened  death  metal  with  some  elements  of  doom  and  post  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2021  ep  "Fanges"  which  will  be  released  in  December  as  a  joint  effort  between  Aesthetic  Death  and  Breathe Plastic.

  A  very  dark  yet  heavy  sound  starts  off  the  ep  while  both  of  the  tracks  are  also  very  long  and  epic  in  length. Elements  of  doom  metal  can  also  be  heard  in  the  slower  sections  of  the  songs  along  with  the  riffs  also  adding  in  a  decent  amount  of  dark  sounding  melodies  and  the  music  also  has  its  repetitive  and  atmospheric  moments.

  When  clean  playing  is  utilized  they  also  give  the  songs  more  of  a  progressive  feeling  while  spoken  word  parts  and  whispers  can  also  be  heard  briefly.  Vocals  are  mostly  death  metal  growls  along  with  some  black  metal  screams  also  be  added  in  at  times  as  well  as  the  music  also  adding  in  some  touches  of  post  metal  and  when  the  music  finally  speeds  up  a  small  amount  of  blast  beats  can  also be  heard.

  On  this  recording  Barus  takes  atmospheric  black,  doom,  death,  post  and  prog  metal  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  a  very  heavy  and  dark  release.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  French  and  cover  dark  and  philosophical  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Barus  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  atmospheric  and  progressive  blackened  death  metal  with  some  touches  of  doom  and  post  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "Fanges".  8  out  of  10.

barusband@gmail.com

https://barus.bandcamp.com/

https://www.facebook.com/barusband

https://www.instagram.com/barus.deathmetal/             

Barus/Drowned/Memento Mori/2018 CD Review

  Barus  are  a  band  from  France  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  very  progressive  form  of  blackened  death  metal  with  elements  of  doom  and  post  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2018  album  "Drowned"  which  will  be  released  in  October  by  Memento  Mori.

  A  very  dark  and  heavy  prog  metal  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  death  metal  growls  and  black  metal  screams  a  few  seconds  later  while  shouting  vocals  are  also  utilized  at  times  along  with  the  riffs  also  adding  in  some  melodies  at  times  as  well  as  the  slower  sections  of  the  songs  adding  in  elements  of  doom  metal.

  When  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  can  also  be  heard  while  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  some  of  the  tracks  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length  as  well  as  all  of  the  musical  instruments  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  Spoken  word  parts  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  while  the  solos  and  leads  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  style  along  with  some  elements  of  post  metal  also  being  utilized  at  times  and  some  tracks  also  add  in  a  small  amount  of  clean  playing  and  melodic  vocals  which  also  gives  the  songs  more  of  a  progressive  feeling  as  well  as  some  ambient  synths  also  being  used  briefly  and  some  of  the  fast  riffs  also  add  in  a  small  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  there  are  also  a  couple  of  instrumentals.

  Barus  creates  another  recording  that  remains  true  to  the  progressive  style  of  blackened  death h metal  from  their  previous  release  while  still  also  mixing  in  elements  of  doom  and  post  metal,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and philosophical  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Barus  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  progressive  blackened  death  metal,  you  should  check  out this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Descry"  "Dissever"  and  "Forsake".  8  out  of  10. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uHNAwWVF78Y

Barus Interview

1.Can you give us an update on what is going on with the band these days?

Quite a lot of things are happening at the moment. We have been working on Barús for about a year now, but only officially unveiled the band when we released our debut EP in March. Currently we’re pretty busy between promoting the EP, finding a label for a physical release and writing new material.

2.In March you had released an ep, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording?

Our sound aims to be oppressing, heavy and unsettling, with a mostly old school death metal approach mixed with some more modern or progressive structures and frequent references to other genres of extreme metal. I usually just say that we play death metal, since I find that technical/progressive/modern death metal can mean pretty much anything these days, and they’re scenes that we don’t feel particularly attached to.

3.The band formed out of the ashes of Project Jim, what was the cause of splitting up that band and starting a new one?

The evolution was natural to us. We took some time to reflect on the essence of the music we wanted to make, what it meant to us, and what we wanted to convey as a whole. This led us to step back from some of the experimental elements of Project JIM and focus on something more raw, heavy and atmospheric, something more personal. It seemed fitting to start fresh, because Barús is not just a change of name; it’s an entirely new entity.

4.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?

Musically, Barús expresses the burdens of the human spirit such as grief, self-doubt and melancholy. We express the sensation of powerlessness and insignificance that these burdens impose onto us, and how they condition the very essence of our beings. This leads to an introspective and sometime fatalistic vision of life and death. The lyrical topics in Barús address this in both a visceral and metaphorical way, exploring the sensation of death and of a misbalance between the spirit and the body.

5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Barús'?

The word ‘Barús’ comes from ancient Greek. It translates weight in both a literal sense, something that is heavy, monolithic and imposing, and in a metaphorical sense, such as a mental burden, grief. It is at the basis of the subjects developed in our music.

6.Has the band done any live shows or has this been strictly a studio project so far?

We haven’t done any live shows under the name Barús yet, as we have only existed officially for a month now. We are a live band though and a significant part of our activity will be playing live.

7.Are there any plans for any live shows or tours?

All being well, we should have a few concerts lined up in France during the summer and fall. Tours aren’t easy to set up since we each play in several bands and work or study on the side but we’ll try to make it happen, at least on a local level.

8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of extreme metal?

The feedback we have gathered so far has been very positive, from people in and outside of the death metal scene. This makes us eager to play the songs live.

9.What is going on with some of the other bands or musical projects these days that some of the band members are a part off?

Maïeutiste, a black metal band that two of us play in, will be releasing a first full-length album this September, with a series of concerts to promote the release. Our vocalist also sings in Deinmas, a grunge band that has a new demo out and is working on an EP. One of our guitarists has just embarked on a European tour with The Walking Dead Orchestra, his brutal death metal band, and they are working on a new album.

10.When can we expect a full length and also where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?

We’re currently working on our full length. We have already written and recorded demo versions of a lot of the songs on the album; hopefully we’ll be ready to start the studio recordings during this coming winter. Musically it follows on from the EP and will continue to elaborate on the same subject.

11.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?

I think in terms of metal in general we could mention bands like Converge, Deathspell Omega, Meshuggah (specifically the Catch 33 era), Ataraxie, Bethlehem. Our music doesn’t necessarily draw directly from the styles of these bands but they each have something unique and personal, a strong identity.
At the moment I listen to a lot of Ulver, mostly the electronic era and film score work. Concerning metal the latest Dead Congregation is great.

12.What are some of your non musical interests?

We each have pretty diverse interests, but most of us spend the majority of our free time writing and producing music.

13.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?

Thanks for the interview! For anyone interested in our music head over to our bandcamp page: barus.bandcamp.com (free download / name your price), and for any labels who would like to work with us for a physical release, contact us at barusband[at]gmail.com.

Barus/Self Titled/2015 EP Review

  Barus  are  a  band  from  France  that  plays  a  blackened  form  of  death  metal  with  elements  of  doom  and  post  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  titled  and  self  released  2015  ep.

  A  very  progressive  and  brutal  death  metal  sound  starts  off  the  ep  along  with  some  elements  of  post  metal  and  blast  beats  which  also  leads  yp  to  growls  and  screams  becoming  a  huge  part  of  the  recording  an d you  can  also  hear  a  decent  amount  of  melody  in  the  guitar  riffing  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.

  When  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  bring  even  more  of  a  melodic  and  prog  metal  sound  to  the  bands  musical  style  and  the  music  can  also  be  very  atmospheric  at  times  and  you  can  also  hear  a  small  amount  of  spoken  word  parts  in  some  of  the  songs  and  as  the  ep  progresses  clean  playing  can  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  along  with  a  small  amount  of  melodic  vocals  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  Barus  takes  a  progressive  style  of  death  metal  and  mixes  it  with  black,  doom  and  post  metal  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover  philosophical  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Barus  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  black,  death,  doom,  prog  and  post  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Tarot"  and  "Cherub".  8  out  of  10.

www.barus.bandcamp.com

www.facebook.com/barusband