Boris & Merzbow - “Rock Dream”
Boris with Merzbow. Rock Dream 2007. 5 stars.
Easily one of the most intense live albums I’ve ever come across, this 2 disc collaboration between psychedelic/drone masters Boris and famed Japanese noise artist Merzbow is a sublime exercise in wailing guitar solos, monstrous feedback, distortion and impossibly raw energy - this rocks you to the core.
The first disc features the mammoth, 35 minute “Feedbacker”, where Boris lays down their heaviest guitar drones as Merzbow plays deliriously with delays and electronic effects, creating an incredibly dense wall of sound that progressively swallows up everything in its path. The following three tracks edge off into shorter bursts of propulsive noise and jangly guitar solos, with neither artist overpowering the other. The timing and pacing between them is impeccable.
The second disc is a more prominent showcase of Boris’ more punk inspired diversions, as the band rips through the most powerful and energetic tracks from their 2005 LP Pink. Just as that album rollicked in reckless abandon, their live counterparts are equally explosive.
For those not familiar with the work of either Boris or Merzbow, this is an excellent place to start. Rock Dream, in all its fuzzed out and psychedelic glory, has raised the watermark for all the rock genres Boris has dabbled in, from punk to drone to the avant garde.
February 5th, 2008 at 1:10 pm
[…] will also feature the B-side “Floorshaker” on February 26. If their last collaboration album with Merzbow was any indication, Smile is going to be a massive record. addthis_url = […]
April 13th, 2008 at 12:53 pm
[…] to occupy the genre, crafting dense and heavy works not unlike those of seasoned acts Sunn o))), Boris and Jesu. Skin Turns to Glass is a re-recording of an earlier CD-R of the same name which had a […]
April 29th, 2008 at 8:30 am
[…] Smile isn’t nearly as awe-inspiring as last year’s Rock Dream, or even 2005’s more punk inspired Pink, it still packs an enormous punch, with a flair for […]