Suicide Records, huh? Once I started to get the feel of Besra‘s newest blurb Equilibrium, the choice of the label began to make perfect sense. This is dangerous melancholy writ large on a canvas of pvre desperation. But we’re getting ahead of ourselves.
The RMR crew somehow missed the band’s 2023 piece Transitions. But as fall sets in with the usual weirdo weather patterns, decaying leaves, and overall melancholy, this new EP quickly attached itself to the folks over at the Review Desk. ‘Ô solitude! Ô Misery!’ That kind of thing, right?
Well, Equilibrium just roared onto our review pipe at the right time. Interestingly, the band claimed that they concocted their newest piece of art in just five months instead of five years. And that to – and I quote – “…challenge the endless overthinking that’s been a part of our band.” And you know what? They’re spot on. The outcome is raw, abrasive, straight-in-your-face Progressive Doom Metal. A record full of moments. Quiet progressively-laden Post Metal parts slightly reminiscent of early Steven Wilson go hand in hand with ambient interludes. Sudden avalanches of freaky sludge and heavy chugs trade places with female monologues, and frightening anguished Hardcore-ish screams.
In other words, instead of a meandering mess of overwrought progressive vibes in search of themselves, the RMR crew found a fascinating twenty minutes full of powerful emotion. A strange mix somewhere in between Cult of Luna and Porcupine Tree. A small blurb of densely written, almost frantic sentiment worn directly on the sleeves of those band members hammering out these songs.
And that’s the spirit, folks. Equilibrium is a short album, true. But it fascinated the hell out of this crew and dragged us right through the dregs of emotional tribulation straight from the catacombs of grief and despair. A banger of a shorty that you should definitely try out. If you can stomach that much angry and intense passion in one go, that is.
Label: Suicide Records | Web: Official Band Site
Release Date: 1 November 2024