Ever since I heard the demo “I: Cutting Wood for Magickal Purposes” I fell in love with Boarhammer and their psychedelic black metal. In their music I finally found everything I was looking for in my black metal and since then I joined the cult of the boar. Their debut album “II: Chemognosis” was also covered in these pages and in 2022 they were even featured in an interview. That being said, it goes without saying that I could not miss the oportunity to write about their latest record to date, the 3rd chapter in the saga of the boar, “III: Instruments of Fungal Intent“.
According to some folkloric beliefs, 3 knocks on the door might mean a bad, even deathly omen and you should be very careful not to answer the knocks or ask who’s behind the door. Or else…In Boarhammer‘s case, number 3 is a lucky number, as on the 31st of October the band has released their long awaited 3rd material, “III: Instruments of Fungal Intent“. Just like with their debut demo, the band once again took the matter in their own hands and self released the new album, which came out on tape, strictly limited to 111 copies. There are 8 songs on the album (no cover version this time), with a total of 48 minutes.
Basically this new material takes off from where “II: Chemognosis” ended, and what a perfect follow up it is. During the 48 minutes we join again Boarhammer on their wild and psychotic trip through cursed forests, misty bogs and mushroom infused visions, where powerful mythical creatures are invoked during strange, psychedelic rituals that happen when the veil is thin and the barrier bewtween the worlds is broken.
“Surrounded by rusted nails and grains of salt,
Chant the secret words of power
To awaken the spirits of those who lie here
In the forest eternally.”
The lyrics (which sadly are not contained in the tape’s j-card but can be read on the Boarhammer bandcamp page) are very important in understanding the whole concept of the album, as they go hand in hand with the music and the song titles. Every song is like a chapter from a Central/Eastern European grimoire bound in human skin, which contains descriptions of supernatural beings, potions and lists of weird ingrendients one has to use when performing dangerous rituals and spells.
“Open your eyes to the world for the first time.
Ingest the earth’s chemicals,
Unlock the hidden gates
That open the bridge between the infinite cosmos
And what lies unconsciously hidden
Within yourself.”
Musically, Boarhammer‘s sound is very much anchored in the same “proto” black metal universe as on their previous works. Heavy/doom metal elements are mixed with the cold riffs and savage blast beats so specific to black metal, everything coated with a punk-ish/rock’n’roll attitude. Some sinister organ-like keyboards make an eery apparition on a couple of tracks, (end of “Bauk” and of “Gewitterlicht“) as if to spice things up a bit.
But the biggest surpise was the use of something similar to…blues, on tracks like “Spirits, Yours Is the Gift of Madness!” or “Psychedelic Renaissance“). Yes, you heard/read well: blues. For me, this is something I did not encounter on a black metal record until now and, as a big lover of blues, I was blown away by this mischevious move. Imagine taking this step even further and creating a new sub/genre, psychedelic black metal blues.
The instruments play a very important role on this album and, thanks to a great production, their sound is highlighted very well. The bass is crunchy, highly audible during the songs, (I love how it sounds on “Psychedelic Renaissance“, it’s so “Ausgebombt“-ish), and sometimes it makes up for the third guitar. The Vessel‘s drumming is powerful, versatile and pounds subversively into your brain, while the guitars, with their raw, yet fuzzy chords and surprisingly melodic solos, create the perfect structure for an old school sounding record such as “III“.
I saved the best for last, so let’s talk a bit about the vocals as well, since they are one of the elements which set Boarhammer apart from the majority of the black metal bands. Ever since the beginning, Wodwoz and The Vessel shared the vocal duties between them. They also do it on this record and this adds even more psychedelic ingredients to the ever boiling concoction that is their music. There is a constant, dramatic dialogue between the two musicians, each one using his own vocal range in different ways, from whispers to clean vocals, or from psychotic, commanding tones to pseudo operatic inflexions/choruses. This dynamic duality (instrumental and vocal wise) works perfectly and creates a ritualistic atmosphere, infused with occult elements, which makes you the direct observer of a magical ritual that happens right before your eyes. Or is it all in your mind?
“Spirits, yours is the gift of madness!
Now, hence the floodgates have all been raised,
Come forth! Ghosts of the invigorating fumes,
Come forth! Manifest! Take shape,
And show your twisted and dilapidated realms to me.“
5 years after their great debut, Boarhammer not only has found, improved and refined their craft, but they have also defined a style of their own. “III” is a very strong album spawned by a band at the top of its creative peak, who clearly knows what its sound and musical directions are. They are clearly not afraid to add new layers on their already established groundbase, while keeping everything enclosed in their own magical circle deeply rooted in the past. Over the course of just three releases, they succeeded in creating their path, something which is extremely rare these days. Hail The True Boarhammer!
BOARHAMMER – “III: Instruments of Fungal Intent” track list :
1. Forest Grave Malediction
2. Bauk
3. Psychotic Bogwitch
4. Spirits, Yours Is the Gift of Madness!
5. Psychedelic Renaissance
6. Shades in the Triangle
7. Schwammgeister
8. Gewitterlicht
Leave a Reply