BORIS + PH – NOSTURI, HELSINKI – 25/08/2017
25 years of avant-garde and experimental metal
It has taken less than a year for the stoner, doom and post-rock band BORIS to return to Helsinki. The Japanese trio performed their legendary album «Pink» (2005, Southern Lord Records) last year in November in a Tavastia room at full capacity. However, this time BORIS returned to Helsinki to play in a larger space (Nosturi) and reward their hardcore Finnish fans with a unique concert celebrating their twenty-five years as a band. The dark Finnish band PH (formerly known as MR PETER HAYDEN) was the opening band of the night. Here is what happened:
PH
The Finns rewarded us with 45 minutes loaded with pure post-metal, progressive elements, dark ambient, hypnotic drone and epic doom. Sound passages filled with psychedelic keyboards and repetitive instrumentation. The stage remained dark during the entire concert, although from time to time it was possible to see weak bursts of light that allowed to distinguish the silhouette of some members of the band. Some occasional sporadic voices guided the songs while the attendants watched in total silence this strange sonic spectacle. Most of the songs played during their set can be found on the band’s newest album «Eternal Hayden» (2017, Svart Records). In conclusion, it is always a unique experience to witness a PH concert, it is an interstellar journey of no return full of progressive rhythms and hypnotic psychedelia. A show which is not visual at all but rather emotional.
BORIS
The Japanese trio BORIS delighted us with an hour and a half of intense concert. The band played their newly released twenty-fourth studio album «Dear” which was played in the strict order of the album. The band destroyed spectators’ eardrums with the monochromatic doom metal with the songs «D.O.W.N.» and «Deadsong». In these songs, the slow and noisy drums of Atsuo flowed in line with the dense bass notes of Takeshi and the schizophrenic feedback effects of Wata‘s guitar.
With the song «Aboslutego» resurged the more guitar and metallic driven stoner rock with Wata as the main leader. The audience moved and shook their heads through the raw and distorted rhythm. This is the version of BORIS that the fans like the most.
Other songs such as «Kagero», «The Power» and «Memento Mori» did not have the same effect in the audience as “Absolutego”, due to its more avant-garde metal, drone and repetitive sound. The band at all times was versatile and excellent in their instruments but these pieces lacked speed and rather were more focused on a particular sound: crude, condensed, heavy and slow – almost like a funeral doom.
Finally, the band said goodbye with the already familiar song «Farewell». In this song they combined all their sonic arsenal to date: shoegaze, drone, sludge, doom, noise and stoner. Subsequently, the lights went on and the dream ended for a committed and devoted audience who did not want to wake up. To conclude, what I found somewhat strange was that the band only decided to play songs from their new album, something I would consider a rather risky decision taken that the new album was only launched in July 2017. But on the other hand that is the virtue and also defect of BORIS– in their live performances you never know what is going to happen – the surprise effect is always there. Happy 25th anniversary!
Setlist:
1- D.O.W.N. (Domination of Waiting Noise)
2- Deadsong
3- Absolutego
4- Beyond
5- Kagero
6- Biotope
7- The Power
8- Memento Mori
9- Dystopia
10- Dear
Encore
11- Farewell