| NO | ||
|---|---|---|
 | ||
| Studio album by Boris | ||
| Released | July 3 2020 | |
| Recorded | March 2020 at Sound Crew in Tokyo, Japan | |
| Genre | Hardcore Punk, Crossover Thrash, Heavy Metal, Experimental | |
| Length | 40:15 | |
| Label | Fangs Anal Satan | |
| Producer | Boris | |
| Boris chronology | ||
| リフレイン -If You / En Attendant Godot- (2020) |
NO (2020) |
Boris (2020) |
NO is a studio album by the Japanese experimental band Boris. Recorded while the band was on quarantine during the CO-VID19 Pandemic, it would be self-released digitally circa July, with physical editions following in late 2020 and early 2021. In a contrast their signature mix of sludge and shoegaze, NO would be more in the vein of hardcore, crossover and thrash metal though elements of shoegaze and sludge appear on the album.[1]
Background[]
Recording and Release[]
Vocalist Guy, former member of Gudon and owner of Blood Sucker Records. Gudon's song "Fundamental Error" would be covered by Boris on NO.
Following a tour of Australia with Merzbow, Boris would be forced to cancel their remaining tours for 2020 when the CO-VID19 Pandemic would take shape. No was written and recorded quickly in March 2020 when Boris entered self-isolation due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[2][3] Inspired by current international political trends, Boris described the album as "a mirror that gathers and reflects people’s negative energy at a different angle, one that is positive. That is the power and potential of the dark, extreme, and brutal noise music that we have experienced up to this point.".[4]
Unlike the lengthy experimental tracks that dominated the band's last few albums, No consists mostly of short, hardcore-based songs. It includes the cover song "Fundamental Error" by 1990s Japanese hardcore band Gudon,[5][6] which also features Japanese hardcore guitarist Katsumi as a guest. The album would be announced in June 2020 with "Loveless" as the first song premiered, followed by music videos for "Zerkalo" and "Anti-Gone".
NO would be released digitally on 3 July 2020 via the Fangs Anal Satan imprint. Guy (Gudon, Origin of M) would release NO as a physical release on CD and Vinyl on 11 November 2020, the Vinyl limited to 700 copies on translucent red vinyl. Italian label F.O.A.D. Records would release the album on vinyl on 22 June 2021, in red vinyl and picture disc, both limited to 250 copies and featuring an alternate version of "Fundamental Error" as a bonus flexi disc. On 1 July 2021 it would be announced that Third Man Records would issue the vinyl edition of NO for North America (along with Flood) on 27 August 2021.[7]
Live Performances[]
Boris in 2021 with drummer Muchio (Left).
In the Fall of 2020 it would be announced that Boris would perform a release party for NO. The performance would take place on 11 January 2021 at Club Quattro.[8] Notably Atsuo would perform live as strictly a vocalist for the first time in over twenty years, with Muchio as the guest drummer for this performance.[9] Along with performing the entirety of NO, Guy (Gudon, Origin of M) would join the band as a guest for their cover of "Fundamental Error".[10][11]
Boris would perform the album again at FEVER on 1 May 2021, which was streamed on YouTube for a limited time as a 360 degree live performance titled "NO World Tour In Your Head".[12][13]
Reception[]
Upon its release, No received mostly positive reviews. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from critics, the album received an average score of 84, which indicates "generally positive reviews", based on 6 reviews.[14] Sputnikmusic noted the album's differences from its immediate predecessors, which could turn off longtime fans although the album "plays to enough of Boris’ many strengths that longstanding fans will be quick to pounce on it."[15] Pitchfork (Awarding a 7.7/10) called No the best Boris album in a decade, squeezing the band's many interests into "these breathless 40 minutes."[16] Treble magazine noted that the album "cuts right through the feedback and drone in the interest of a more direct delivery of thrashy riffs and crust-punk intensity."[17] Post-Trash noted that the album is likely to satisfy both longtime Boris fans, plus fans of hardcore punk and heavy metal.[18]
In a review for AllMusic, Thom Jurek claimed that "While hardly a political album, No reflects the frustration, anger, fear, and helplessness of the 2020 pandemic in a global zeitgeist. While its stylistic hallmarks are undeniably part of the band's musical signature, here they pay homage to the past while simultaneously reflecting the tense uncertainty of the present and future, directly and consistently, making No the band's strongest, most visionary outing since Pink."[19] Notably The Sleeping Shaman,[20] Exclaim![21] and Spectrum Culture[22] would be among several critics to praise NO.
Tracklist[]
All songs written by Boris except where noted.
- 1. Genesis (6:28)
- 2. Anti-Gone (2:57)
- 3. Non Blood Lore (3:40)
- 4. Temple of Hatred (2:06)
- 5. 鏡 -Zerkalo- (5:02)
- 6. HxCxHxC -Perforation Line- (2:42)
- 7. キキノウエ -Kiki No Ue- (2:06)
- 8. Lust (2:51)
- 9. Fundamental Error (2:43) (Gudon)
- 10. Loveless (6:40)
- 11. Interlude (3:00)
Personnel[]
- Wata - Guitar, Echo, Vocals
- Takeshi - Bass, Guitar, Vocals
- Atsuo - Percussion, Electronics, Vocals
- Katsumi Sugahara - Guitar (9)
- Fangs Anal Satan - Artwork, Design, Engineer
- Koichi Hara Mixing, Mastering
- Kazumichi Maruoka - Logo Type
External Links[]
References[]
- ↑ Exclaim!
- ↑ Pitchfork
- ↑ The Obelisk
- ↑ Consequence
- ↑ Knotfest
- ↑ Boris Instagram
- ↑ Third Man Records Facebook
- ↑ Boris Instagram
- ↑ Boris Instagram
- ↑ Boris Instagram
- ↑ Boris YouTube
- ↑ Setlist.fm
- ↑ Metacritic
- ↑ SputnikMusic
- ↑ Pitchfork
- ↑ Treblezine
- ↑ Post Trash
- ↑ AllMusic
- ↑ The Sleeping Shaman
- ↑ Exclaim!
- ↑ Spectrum Culture