Fucking Bölzer

[Pedrito]

For the mouth of the heretic be blessed
His silken tongue doth line their ears with gold
I am the prophesied antithesis of silence
I breathe the raging winds of old

Awaken ye spellbound children of the occident
Beware the one who seeketh to sculpture your will
Beveiled of face and of reptilian intent
A herdsman is he to all man's earthly ills

And lo, fear doth flee as the air
Hums with the songs of the dead
Tremors sweep the heartland
As lips do remember their names

Serpents of the sickled star
Silent and virulent
Servants of the crucifix
Restless pacifists
Axioms of abraham
Spiritual ransom

May the gnashing of teeth for his treachery be heard!
May the somniferous in devout ignorance be stirred!

Unmask the rats
The swindler lives
With book in hand
Of sword he speaks


Thou art my foeman
Soon shall the spell be broken
Thou art death's oathman
A shepherd in wolven skin

Cheap is his blood and cryptic his name
Reigning one-eyed king of the blind
He be a tyrant and he be a saint
Cold captor of innocence

Harken the return of ancient rites
A synergy of earth and mind ablaze
Fates scream with urgency in the night
A storm of steel to grace the break of day

Jizz 

[Eoin McLove]

Nice, cheers. 

[Eoin McLove]

They have updated their band photo on metal archives.  The two lads are wearing identical gear, and both wearing the same Bölzer t-shirt.  Zero fucks given, as the internet retards say 

[Pedrito]

I'm definitely not being alarmist here because I hate all that outrage stuff. What I will say is that Bölzer seem to play an interesting 'take it to the edge' game with their imagery. The SS looking skull on those t-shirts is just about not SS enough looking for them to get away with it. That accompanied by the swastika style tatts and yet the lad is 1/4 Nigerian or something like that.

It's nothing new, The Stooges used SS uniforms and I'm not really making any point for or against. I get it but I wouldn't know how to explain it. It seems to be, as you say, quite a 'fuck you we'll do what we want' type thing, rather than something political as such.

[Eoin McLove]

I think it's a clever move in a way. People getting outraged or upset by their antics keeps them in the limelight and their profile rises. You could be cynical and say they should let their music do the talking and not get involved in media driven hype, but ultimately their music is really strong and the striking image goes hand in hand with the lyrical concepts, too- being bold and daring and reaching new heights. Much better than being shrinking violets or overly apologetic. It's a bit rebellious and that's certainly welcome. I think that, particularly with the way the internet has made everybody ordinary (sharing photos of their breakfast or their cat), we could do with a band who is iconic and stands out from the crowd.  Whether you like Bölzer or not,  I think it's hard to argue that they have developed a strong, identifiable image, and one that everyone has an opinion about.

[Pedrito]

Yes, it stands out and there's enough contradiction in who they are and what they believe in from the interviews I've read to make it interesting and allow them to stand out from the crowd. I think it works, there's a certain unknown quantity there that is always good for bands, and especially in today's environment where mystique is almost non existent. Bold, daring and reaching new heights sums it up nicely.

Just to add..I think they're a band that could go down some really interesting roads in the future if they allow themselves to and not cave into the metal brotherhood. I'm expecting something totally leftfield, (probably  not a crappy accoustic album), but something slower, exploring sounds and rhythms and god knows what. They may need to add an extra musician or 2 to do so.

[Black Shepherd Carnage]

Shirts seem just to reflect the artwork, lightning bolts all over the gaff.

In terms of the lyrics, worth a refresher on the meaning of the EP title: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L%C3%A8se-majest%C3%A9
They're leaving everything wonderfully ambiguous in terms of who is the offender and who is the offendee, and the title "Shepherd in Wolven Skin" goes in the same direction. If there is something to be read from the choice of apparel and artwork, it may also be an echo of the "look beyond the surface" ethos every aspect of this seems to be driving at. Okoi's Nigerian heritage is surely a small part of that too, or not so much his heritage per se but the fact that it is very much real yet seemingly invisible to those who only look to the surface. And given his, from what I've read in interviews, pretty insightful understanding of Nietzsche, it all really goes along with that.

In short, I don't think anything is being done for shock value, more like a game of "say what you see" where you get a slap in the face every time you respond with something too obvious.

[Pedrito]

Nice summary Chris. Nietzsche constantly springs to mind with them and the 'look beyond the surface' ethos is what I was struggling to put words to. They're definitely far more nuanced than the majority of metal bands which makes them all the more interesting.

[mickO)))]

What I will say is that Bölzer seem to play an interesting 'take it to the edge' game with their imagery.

They got an apology type statement out in record time when Antifa came after them last year.

[Black Shepherd Carnage]

A bit of ear straining and " " Google searching reveals the sound-bite at the beginning to be none other than Carl Sagan:

The trapdoor beneath our feet swings open. We find ourselves in bottomless free fall.

Taken from this classic speech:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cSrL0BXsO40

[Grim Reality]

Hero was basically Thus Spake Zarathustra in audio. Magic

[ldj]

Sounds nothing like Crack the Skye at all to me,  but I appear to be in a minority.

Pedro, where did you see the lyrics?

Yeah it'd be more in the vibe than anything tbh, there's something 'cosmic' about CTS and Bolzer, YOB also have a similar thing going on, although all three bands play different styles of metal, maybe I'm talking bollocks though  . 

[Black Shepherd Carnage]

Might just be something that happens when a band, in creating an album, succeed in aiming at something that goes beyond the sequences of notes and rhythms employed. Since most bands don't have that ambition, and that among those who do only a few do actually succeed, it's not so strange there'd just be a few quite different sounding artists who nevertheless have a kind of "family resemblance" about them.

[Eoin McLove]

You could be on to something there.  The parallel you could conceivably draw is their huge emphasis on groove,  which is generally avoided in the end of the scene Bölzer emerged from, and their playing style doesn't rely on the predictable,  identifiable black or death metal cliches.  They somehow encompass those genres while sounding little like either and have hit on something original,  yet kind of familiar or timeless. 

[Pentagrimes]

I wouldn't describe them as "death metal" in any way shape or form, which is not a slag at all, I just really don't think it describes them accurately.

In the minority here but I really could not care less about this band's lyrics/philosophy. Mind you that applies to 99% of music I listen to really.