Album Review: Baazlvaat - Incredible World
Baazlvaat: Incredible World
In a music landscape crowded with copycats and emulators, it's a breath of fresh air to encounter an artist who dares to be truly original and push the boundaries of their craft. Baazlvaat, a duo: Declan (guitars, bass, vocals) and Nirogpipe (vocals, drums, bass) hailing from Flint, Michigan, is one such dark entity with many shades. You might know Flint for its poisonous water or history as a "vehicle city", but after this album, it may be where Metal started going into even more creative and interesting depths. With their latest release, Incredible World, Baazlvat unleash a warlocks concoction that defies categorisation and delivers a unique experience like taking Ayahuasca with your grandmother.
From the very first track, Baazlvaat's music strikes like a lightning bolt to the eardrums, leaving you wondering if you accidentally stumbled into an alternate dimension. Incredible World is a swirling vortex of black metal roots infused with Prog, Punk, Doom, Folk, and shit I can't even comprehend. The track "Galen Gogis" kicks the album off with what at first is your traditional black metal vibe but then shifts down darkened corridors of ‘80s Doom, and the two sounds sort of just merge…and that goes back and forth for three minutes or so until a choir backing is added in and starts going into a heavy Candlemass vibe. Clearer vocals hit, and a progressive, folk feeling emerges. It's all really quite overwhelming that I need to sit down for a second….ugh…fuck…hold on…………………………………..……………………………..……………………………..coughs……….ah fuck……..ok………I think I'm good……………………
Ok! I'm back. Wow, ok, so the next track, "Never To Be Seen Again", rips into the earhole with no remorse, dear Citadelians. But then it is offset with that classic rock feeling until…wait…does he….fuck, he sounds just like Nattramn! Oh fuck! I need to sit down again…………………………………………………………………………….Wow what a fucking journey….now there are keyboards? What the fuck is going on? Who am I? This band owns! It's like a fruitcake of all my favourite fruits (mostly raspberry), and it somehow works together!
Did I mention there's a Western track?…yeah literally an acoustic cowboy song, so get on your black horse, set your Walkman to "Enter This World" and ride on, valiant Citadelians!
As the album's 14 tracks unfold, it covers such a vast musical landscape. Baazlvaat's mastery lies in their ability to create hooks that sink into your flesh like rusty barbed wire, captivating you with their infectious melodies while simultaneously tearing your soul apart. It's a bit like that time that Chernoglav gave me a ghost pepper-infused gummy bear, thinking it was just a regular gummy bear…it made me puke, and I couldn't sit right for two days, but boy what a ride it was.
The vocal changes are also really something else, "The War Blast" goes full Death at the onset and then switches to Black Metal raspy screeching, all the while with this little medieval melody in the background. These guys definitely have ADHD, and I can identify with that and appreciate it!
Declan (guitars, bass, vocals) and Nirogpipe (vocals, drums, bass)
"Incredible World" is a dark banquet where Black Metal meets Melodic Hard Rock, and the result is a feast for the senses. Baazlvaat's music is like a wicked potion brewed by mixing the blood of Bathory, the tears of Silencer, a dash of 80's Sabbath, a splash of melted Candlemass vinyl, and LSD. It's an alchemical blend that will leave you headbanging with the intensity of a possessed poltergeist.
I definitely recommend tracks "Cursed Enchantments" and "Abyssal Melodies". They will take you on a journey to the very depths of your strangest nightmares, like the one where you kiss your cousin and like it! The guitar solos are like fiery serpents slithering through your veins, and the thunderous drums echo like the beating heart of a slain enemy.
Baazlvaat's ability to seamlessly blend disparate genres is nothing short of sorcery. They effortlessly incorporate elements of folk, punk, and even spaghetti western music, as if they were conjuring a musical séance with the spirits of Ennio Morricone and Quorthon. Who knew the dark arts could be so groovy?
Incredible World is a testament to Baazlvaat's musical prowess and its dedication to creating a unique musical experience. It's an album that will transport you to a realm where darkness reigns supreme, guitars shred like chainsaws, and you transition between genres like you're in a LSD wormhole. I was definitely curious about this band before, but now I want to buy the album. But don't waste your time like I did, don't be buy-curious; just get the album now! Then grab your leather jacket, raise your horns, and prepare to be enchanted by the sinister melodies of Baazlvaat.
Written by: Chort the Crop Infestor
“Hi, I’m Chort! I infest crops and listen to Black Metal. I’ve currently invested most of my life savings into tracking down the REAL Nattramn and telling him how much I love his voice.”
