There is a psychic war being fought within the tethered contentedness of the individual and the skull-pinging ambition that haunts all thoughts beyond self-actualization’s prompt, a fifth stage maturation of the singularity that goes on peering readily into the dark on this latest full-length album from Soutomaior, Galicia-based black metal quartet (trio on record) BALMOG. Their latest crowning achievement in an imposing streak of black metal blurring movements against the grain, ‘Laio‘ feels the momentum behind it’s back and revels in the sensation of fusing bones and drying cartilage as their inner-beast continues to grow. Combining more recent sea-change with an increasingly distant past the band’s latest material achieves a new level of harried emotional intensity, an array of reactive and wise notions built from eclectic, outward-seeking sensibilities. Though the entity hungers for a holistically representative self it doesn’t escape the tormentor’s wheel, leaning into lamentations which follows life’s expansion and death’s contraction in wrenching unison.

Balmog formed circa 2003 and… since I’d gone into some great detail in review of their fourth LP (‘Eve‘, 2020) you’ll find my thoughts on their impressive evolution ‘ready well-stated. What I will say is that their occult black metal conceptions began to translate into an increasingly unique sonic personae around the release of ‘Vacvvm‘ (2018) and only escalated from there with each release. The catalyst for my own interest came with a conceptual EP (‘Pillars of Salt‘, 2020) which’d been one of my favorite releases that year per its longform, ranting exposition and changeling movements. Their interest in 70’s progressive rock structures, 80’s post-punk voicing, and multi-generational black metal guitar techniques manifested uniquely wild waveforms of which I am huge fan of in every configuration served to date, this new album included. ‘Eve‘ was the album that’d put the band’s EP ventures into most resolute practicum, I believe I’d described it as something like an 80’s Killing Joke album if it were performed by Sinmara (or nearby) and the assumption is that five years beyond that point they’ve found an ascending path beyond with ‘Laio‘. It’d be fair to suggest iterative, cumulative and fresh evolutionary traits have been nurtured over the course of the last several years.

‘Laio‘ finds the serpent’s path primarily by way of cumulative practicum wherein these folks’ve aimed to achieve the harass of their earlier black metal records as well as the empyreal, heady and genre-breaking aspirations of their newer material. In reaching for a more open-wounded vision they achieve a ranting and somewhat avant-garde result characterized by fevered, obsessive flow which aims to communicate despairing angst, a sinking and distraught existence. When taking in their own peculiar angled occult-gloomed psych black vision It helps to know the full history of the band in approach of this record but you’d do well to at least catch up with ‘Eve‘ (before or after) for perspective if you can hang with this one.

Opener “Mud to Gold” is intentionally placed as frontage tasked with making the argument that all of these pieces continue to fit, that their vision need not be categorically this or that, and that flitting between forms can potentially reach a state of higher cohesion. The songs structure isn’t so steadfastly prog-rock in its galloping and slow-turning movements and instead Balmog‘ve leaned toward their interest in post-punk/gothic rock even more for cadence. I’d seen this song as the most direct continuation of the breakthrough takes found on ‘Eve‘ but decongested, flowing in its many-layered movements and propelled by anxious tension. That is to say that ‘Laio‘ doesn’t show its full panorama outright but does impress with its opener, a wriggling and mystified step into a busier portal. Balmog are still inherently a black metal band from my point of view and we see the riff-and-rhythm of their work in “Mud to Gold” though the effects-rippling guitar tones and brilliant drum performances of this song aren’t typified or dry emulations.

The band’s blasting roots are unhindered yet skillfully built to flood and seethe around their subject matter in transfixing spectacle and the song which best exemplifies this sympatico between past-and-present is “Tongue in Pieces” which may carry its own performative moments but also whips and threshes darker, more viciously than much of ‘Eve‘. Granted the spectacle of this song is not limited to aggression as we find their dip into a volume swell (~1:15 minutes in) in feature of the bass guitar tone and its hotly thrummed presence signals the post-punk/gothic rock inspired edge of the band which is again bolstered by the unique clean vocals of Balc when they arrive later on in the piece. This is probably the most key piece in terms of catching the knowing ear with something new on introduction as the whole of Side A appears eager to shed these ideas with despairing fervor.

Overdosing on guitar effects ’til warped and kicking out like some manner of post-hardcore swept post-black metal piece “Like God Who Knows” surprises with its opening verses, riding high on a simpler guitar melody and (again) a wrathful treatment of ‘Fire Dances‘-esque beats before the blackened gallop of the song rallies in. For my own taste this was probably the most exciting piece to strike within the roll out of Side A, uncomplicated in some sense but expressive beyond expectation while carrying a sort of Icelandic black metal trod within its tail-wind. I’d felt like Balmog reached for something emboldened on this first half of ‘Laio‘, familiar in its exhibition but freshened in its structural gearing and this’d been my main point of enthusiasm to start though there is yet a darker, more violent turn of the wheel taken on Side B which completes the 80’s post-punk album structure and feeling of the album while also crushing through some heavier, wrathful black metal mutations.

Key single “Mashalam” carries us down a sinkhole pocked road of dire, desert-bound angst as a rocking yet bleak late 80’s gothic rock referenced piece practically flies past despite its five minute stretch. This may very well be an absurd “rock” moment beyond the pale for some black metal purists but to be fair there was more than foreshadowing for this on Side A and their use of “dissonant” and open-ringing black metal combustion is inspired in this case. The ‘And Justice For All‘ level percussive hits that crop up around ~2:56 minutes in offer one of my favorite details on the album. From there “The Silence of the Trumpets” reinforces the combination of old and new Balmog traits reaching for some of the more classic black metal riffs in their arsenal on the way through. The thought is largely complete at that point but I like that extended closer “Getsemaní” has a sort of Fields of the Nephilim feeling to its step, I’d almost wanted more of this level of atmospheric fixation on the album as it offers an interesting counterpoint to their highly active presence otherwise.

In rejecting mankind’s aspiration toward the concept of divinity Balmog craft a fallen angelic experience, spiteful yet tragedian movement which is sourly dramatic but given enough muscle to press through without waning in interest. On more practical terms they’ve workshopped a ratio of forms which suits their evolving personae with strong taste, a bitterness that blends into their black metal theatrics with a finesse beyond the usual experimental/tentative combination. In even more direct terms these songs are just a bit more memorable than their previous record and this justifies the wild, unfettered vision of the band as it continues to evolve. A high recommendation.

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