Bölzer – Aura
On the opposite side of a metaphorical wall of mediocrity lie artists that truly have found their own voice, and stand ready to scale what lies before them in defiance of the easy categorization that burdens those with less ambitious sounds. One such collective of creators are Bölzer, a Swiss band standing brave at the pulpit of Black/Death Metal, preaching a gospel of riffery utterly original in execution and composition. Somehow these eerie maniacs manage to create sounds syrupy and screechy all at once, with tremolo-picked noises played way up the nethers on the guitar neck one minute, then down on the dark frets at the very next instant. The music has a spiraling effect to it, bouncing in dynamics from melting DM minor keys to maniacal BM tri-tones that, placed together, have an oddly melodic feel that a circa-1989 Kim Thayil would appreciate. Vocals have an autocratic cadence to them, equal parts mad dictator, howling cult leader, and monstrous Grendel, and each style – disparate as they are – work together in the otherworldly maelstrom the three songs of Aura inhabit. In just 23 minutes, this MLP has not only scaled that proverbial ‘wall’ mentioned earlier, but have sauntered their way onto my ‘best of the last five months’ list (deja vu …). Time will tell if it remains there, as 2013 has a good long way to go, but the fact I’ve spun this eight times already and feel as though I am just getting started with spending time on the album is a sure sign of its staying power. The diversity of Aura’s sounds and obvious amount of thought and skill put into its tracks, especially the long (but far from arduous) ‘The Great Unifier’, strengthen the intrigue of each repeat play.
Coming off the excellent (and sold out) Roman Acupuncture demo with Lucifer’s brethren beckoning at their heels, Bölzer are putting the pound and power of Swiss evil back onto the path of the extremity. Trust me on this one, the 500 copies of Aura will not last. This is not an MLP that will collect dust on your shelf, nor are Bölzer a band that – now or later – will bore. -Jim
Iron Bonehead
Worm Gear 
This is insanely brilliant. Some of the best and most creative riff architecture this side of Molested.