Boris (3) – Absolutego

If you are listening for the first time, I would avoid the Southern Lord "Special Low Frequency Version" releases of Absolutego. That remastered version is very different from the original, it's slightly slower with more distortion and lower fidelity. Basically sounds like the original recorded inside of a trash can, but it does have its own appeal.

The original CDs are in short supply now, my preferred version is the original, but the newer remaster is also pretty decent if you can get over how loud it was made.

absolutely crushing. makes me jealous i was never able to see this live with the literally shaking me up and down.

This album is bursting with life in a way that some might not find appealing, which is understandable. As a dedicated noise fan, I think this album stands above its contemporaries, both in the Drone Doom subgenre as well as most HNW projects.

What I find most appealing about Absolutego is the attention to detail. When I take the time to really focus on the track, I notice so many layers of sound and fury all coming together to create an almost hypnotic listening experience. Its not just "a really long sound" as I've heard some people describe the album as.

Though it does progress slowly, Absolutego is so densely layered and jam packed with sound that every minute that es by provides the listener with so many details to catch, and even more to be discovered upon later listening.

Absolutego is absolutely essential for fans of noise. Even though technically its a Doom Metal album, the approach here can be much greater appreciated by people already interested in relentless and unforgiving soundscapes.

If the idea of sitting through one solo Merzbow album makes your stomach churn, that's likely a sign you won't find this album as interesting as I did.

But anyone who is a fan of noise should definitely get this album into their collection.

This whole album is one long song, so I was expecting some sort of epic drone song that I've become used to from Boris. To be totally honest, it's kind of a boring album. I'd say unless you're looking to do a complete collection of everything Boris put out, this is one release that you can easily over without missing too much. It's okay, and as a collector it's kind of cool to have just for the rarity of it, but I'd be hard pressed to come up with a good reason to buy another copy if I lost mine.