tag:usthemgroup.com,2005:/blogs/boris-news?p=1Boris News2018-11-21T04:28:06-08:00US / THEM Groupfalsetag:usthemgroup.com,2005:Post/52773342018-06-05T10:00:27-07:002022-05-20T03:47:44-07:00Boris Add West Coast Tour Dates<figure class="tmblr-full" data-orig-height="2048" data-orig-width="1529"><p style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://78.media.tumblr.com/1be1fdedc195e5ce07aca8f1b54c36f5/tumblr_inline_p9u2ijNoXv1qbzv4w_540.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" /></p></figure>
<p><a href="http://sargenthouse.com/boris">Boris</a> have added west coast dates to their 2018 tour.</p>
<p>AUG 15 San Diego, CA @ Casbah <br>AUG 16 Los Angeles, CA @ Echoplex (Sold Out)<br>AUG 17 Las Vegas, NV @ Psycho Las Vegas <br>AUG 18 Camarillo, CA @ Rock City Studios <br>AUG 19 San Francisco, CA @ The Independent <br>AUG 21 Portland, OR @ Doug Fir Lounge <br>AUG 22 Seattle, WA @ Neumos<br>AUG 24 New York, NY @ Le Poisson Rouge </p>US / THEM Grouptag:usthemgroup.com,2005:Post/52668772018-05-30T12:41:39-07:002018-05-30T20:01:06-07:00Boris Set Time @ Psycho Las Vegas // Friday, August 17<figure class="tmblr-full" data-orig-height="792" data-orig-width="792"><img src="https://78.media.tumblr.com/85315aa51dee62630ff3ad8411cf034d/tumblr_inline_p9k3xkWp6H1qg2879_540.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" /></figure><p><a href="https://www.facebook.com/borisheavyrocks/?fref=mentions">Boris</a> will be performing Psycho Las Vegas in The Joint from 7:40PM - 8:40PM on Friday, August 17. </p><p>Tickets <a href="https://www.vivapsycho.com/pages/tickets">HERE</a></p>US / THEM Grouptag:usthemgroup.com,2005:Post/52520292018-05-22T15:27:01-07:002022-03-16T10:31:54-07:00Boris & Stephen O’Malley at Roadburn 2018 // CVLT Nation<figure class="tmblr-full" data-orig-height="84" data-orig-width="600"><p style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://78.media.tumblr.com/ff50ca348e90e142cef0af32567a657f/tumblr_inline_p95i0sFDg91qbzv4w_540.png" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="image" /><img src="https://78.media.tumblr.com/2ed8a0f106c6617c245b3ada8d25501b/tumblr_inline_p95i14WnSk1qbzv4w_540.png" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="image" /></p></figure>
<h2 style="text-align: center;"><span class="font_small"><b>CVLT NATION CAPTURES ROADBURN 2018 DAY THREE <b>– Saturday 21st</b></b></span></h2>
<p>Full article via <a href="http://www.cvltnation.com/cvlt-nation-captures-roadburn-2018-day-three/">CVLT Nation</a><br><br>On the other side of the musical spectrum, another Japanese trio, joined by<b> </b>none other than<b> </b>Stephen O’Malley<b> </b>himself, came together for a one hour long droning spectacle in the form of their debut ‘Absolutego’. Seeing the wall of amps stretching over the entire Main Stage brought to mind a memory of another festival where terrified security guards, just before Electric Wizard came onto stage, started handing out earplugs to the front rows, telling people it might ‘get a bit loud’. Even though <a href="http://borisheavyrocks.com">Boris</a>‘<b> </b>audience should’ve known what they were getting themselves into, some were still spotted without any ear protection. Ouch. The monstrous droning soundscapes they built from amp-feedbacking and ambient echoes reminded me how incredibly ahead of its time their music was some 20 odd years ago and how au courant and relevant it still sounded. Considering the band’s expanding musical exploration over the years, it was particularly fascinating to see in flesh where it all once started. </p><!-- more -->
<p style="text-align: center;"><span class="font_large"><b>Stephen O’Malley & Boris</b></span></p>
<figure class="tmblr-full" data-orig-height="381" data-orig-width="745"><p style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://78.media.tumblr.com/9f9183b552e4f147e3c31d97481a5181/tumblr_inline_p95i71DcSI1qbzv4w_540.png" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="image" /></p></figure>US / THEM Grouptag:usthemgroup.com,2005:Post/52252132018-05-09T11:27:11-07:002018-05-09T13:15:27-07:00Boris Announce Show in NYC<figure class="tmblr-full" data-orig-height="780" data-orig-width="505"><p style="text-align: center;"><a contents="" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://bit.ly/2K33ehI" target="_blank"><img src="https://78.media.tumblr.com/e9774fc54b13bd9e62f1d43c47b588b0/tumblr_inline_p8h4hgFlhr1qg2879_540.png" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" /></a></p></figure>
<p><a href="https://www.facebook.com/borisheavyrocks/">Boris</a> have added a new show date in New York, NY – August 24 @ Le Poisson Rouge. Visit <a href="https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fsargenthouse.com%2Fboris&h=ATPQJ2fiueFxDTWmuH_8GLq5w3Wk8Lzcdt3FnfI6WX1jdoFDgN0Sl2O6BPGnEzUAhMdCPHXkhV1D2RFWiChmDgcHxj8kJ4faOZisqJZBWdFuTsTPH-09YlDWguE2D_a_q6o4BEjT8g">sargenthouse.com/boris</a> for all show dates.<br>Tickets <a href="https://bit.ly/2K33ehI">HERE</a> // Event page <a href="https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fbit.ly%2F2K2d6Za&h=ATNhhXTvHW98j6xvqa4oGCvIzEo9RlNKwxJGgfqvDz3U_hcL5e298P5mVbbpGFY8YvVohI6OXlM7tM7qEDUg4PVjJNRAgwRjsQMe12VZhr5cbKKcEfQLnEqbHQ2P-zLU0ab6w97qMQ">HERE</a></p>US / THEM Grouptag:usthemgroup.com,2005:Post/51790682018-04-12T10:46:01-07:002018-04-12T18:30:33-07:00Boris Play Friday, August 17 @ Psycho Las Vegas 2018<figure class="tmblr-full" data-orig-height="675" data-orig-width="540"><p style="text-align: center;"><a contents="" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.vivapsycho.com/pages/tickets" target="_blank"><img src="https://78.media.tumblr.com/13a87b84d6bb420b83cb18162b307cf8/tumblr_inline_p732k3jiGH1qg2879_540.png" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" /></a></p></figure>
<p>Single day line-ups are announced for Psycho Las Vegas 2018. <a href="http://borisheavyrocks.com">Boris</a> will be playing The Joint on Friday, August 17.<br>Tickets <a data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.vivapsycho.com%2Fpages%2Ftickets&t=OWNjMjE3Zjc3ZGVhYzFjMTU5MTE3OGZkZWQ1MDFhMDRkNDcxMzQ2NCxKOTNvSmVDeA%3D%3D&b=t%3AYBbXn-seGjjQQbVU--XSYg&p=http%3A%2F%2Fmutoidman.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F172865547216%2Fmutoid-man-plays-sunday-august-9-psycho-las&m=1" target="_self">HERE</a></p>US / THEM Grouptag:usthemgroup.com,2005:Post/51529832018-03-28T12:30:12-07:002018-03-28T16:01:01-07:00Boris 25th Anniversary Live album “eternity” Released Today<figure data-orig-width="1594" data-orig-height="1594" class="tmblr-full"><img src="https://78.media.tumblr.com/1606874afa00651c8e52fd65c8fb931c/tumblr_inline_p6bf8f6avI1qg2879_540.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" /></figure><p>Digital high resolution release
24bit/48kHz(ALAC/FLAC/WAV) / AAC
<br>With PDF photo booklet.
Order Now
<a href="https://t.co/O4zhGJiNHS">HERE</a><br></p><p>+ <a href="https://borisheavyrocks.com/">New Boris website design</a></p>US / THEM Grouptag:usthemgroup.com,2005:Post/51447122018-03-23T11:37:34-07:002023-12-10T11:32:45-08:00Boris + Melvins at the Echoplex<figure class="tmblr-full" data-orig-height="570" data-orig-width="1146"><p style="text-align: center;"><a contents="" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.ticketfly.com/purchase/event/1651592" target="_blank"><img src="https://78.media.tumblr.com/4675983dd4a76f037bff7a7a48b077b0/tumblr_inline_p6243jC2yC1qg2879_540.png" class="size_l justify_inline border_" alt="image" /></a></p></figure>
<p>As a part of 25th anniversary series show <a href="https://www.tumblr.com/edit/borisheavyrocks.com">Boris</a> will play with MELVINS at Echoplex in Los Angeles on August 16th. Tickets <a data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.ticketfly.com/purchase/event/1651592" target="_self">HERE</a></p>US / THEM Grouptag:usthemgroup.com,2005:Post/51328572018-03-16T13:45:08-07:002021-12-08T23:42:34-08:00Boris Release Short Film “DEAR” // Directed by Kohei Igarashi<figure class="tmblr-embed tmblr-full" data-orig-height="304" data-orig-width="540" data-provider="youtube" data-url="https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DtcI3JVkG7eg"><p style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="304" id="youtube_iframe" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/tcI3JVkG7eg?feature=oembed&enablejsapi=1&origin=https://safe.txmblr.com&wmode=opaque" width="540"></iframe></p></figure>
<p><a href="http://borisheavyrocks.com">Boris</a>, who just finished Europe tour the other day , released a new video work.</p><!-- more -->
<p>Based on the inspiration from the title song of the latest work “DEAR” by film director Kohei Igarashi, a film director who also works on MV such as DAN and [Alexandros], produced the movie “Breathtaking” It was a short film.</p>
<p>A video method in which the current cut always reaches out to other spaces and reaches the space, and the link method is drawn, the unique image expression of director Igarashi constantly something happens always is a video resonating with Boris’ thrilling sound image.</p>
<p>Kohei Igarashi who worked for this time’s schedule will collaborate with Damien Manifeller “The Night Swimming too much” to be released nationwide from the Theater Image Forum from April.</p>
<p>In addition, Boris announced that it will deliver the live sound source “eternity” which was recorded at the end of last year’s Tokyo performance of the Tokyo performance of the 25th anniversary tour at OTOTOY monopoly the other day. As we are accepting reservations now, do not forget to check here as well.</p>
<p>Article in Japanese via <a href="https://ototoy.jp/news/87969">OTOTOY</a></p>US / THEM Grouptag:usthemgroup.com,2005:Post/51185782018-03-08T10:47:30-08:002018-03-08T15:45:26-08:00Boris + Amenra Photo Essay // CVLT Nation<figure class="tmblr-full" data-orig-height="84" data-orig-width="600"><a contents="" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.cvltnation.com/intense-beauty-heavy-darkness-amenra-boris-photo-essay/" target="_blank"><img src="https://78.media.tumblr.com/ff50ca348e90e142cef0af32567a657f/tumblr_inline_p5ac37b06s1qg2879_540.png" class="size_xl justify_inline border_" alt="image" /></a></figure>
<figure class="tmblr-full" data-orig-height="353" data-orig-width="747"><a contents="" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.cvltnation.com/intense-beauty-heavy-darkness-amenra-boris-photo-essay/" target="_blank"><img src="https://78.media.tumblr.com/db4b1daaf544adc94c33edc7f367367d/tumblr_inline_p5ac4rwUcn1qg2879_540.png" class="size_xl justify_inline border_" alt="image" /></a></figure>
<p>One of the most celebrated tours that just took place was <a href="https://www.facebook.com/churchofra/">AMENRA</a> and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/borisheavyrocks/">BORIS</a>. <a href="http://www.voidrevelations.com/">Void Revelations</a> caught the tour in Karlsruhe, Germany, and from the photos you can tell it was an intense affair!</p>
<p>Full photo essay via <a data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.cvltnation.com/intense-beauty-heavy-darkness-amenra-boris-photo-essay/" target="_blank">CVLT Nation</a></p>US / THEM Grouptag:usthemgroup.com,2005:Post/51043522018-02-28T12:53:04-08:002018-02-28T15:45:23-08:00LIVE REVIEW: AMENRA & BORIS IN BRISTOL // CVLT Nation<figure class="tmblr-full" data-orig-height="84" data-orig-width="600"><a contents="" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.cvltnation.com/live-review-amenra-boris-bristol/" target="_blank"><img src="https://78.media.tumblr.com/ff50ca348e90e142cef0af32567a657f/tumblr_inline_p4vof8KQK31qg2879_540.png" class="size_xl justify_inline border_" /></a></figure>
<figure class="tmblr-full" data-orig-height="375" data-orig-width="750"><a contents="" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.cvltnation.com/live-review-amenra-boris-bristol/" target="_blank"><img src="https://78.media.tumblr.com/426fe9cb15b7426d4ef07fd661f81aa1/tumblr_inline_p4vog9lhzD1qg2879_540.png" class="size_xl justify_inline border_" /></a></figure>
<figure class="tmblr-full" data-orig-height="47" data-orig-width="657"><a contents="" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.cvltnation.com/live-review-amenra-boris-bristol/" target="_blank"><img src="https://78.media.tumblr.com/392fb4e2bcb293594c450d01470b8c00/tumblr_inline_p4vokeEwdD1qg2879_540.png" class="size_xl justify_inline border_" /></a></figure>
<p>Full review by Gavin Brown via <a href="http://www.cvltnation.com/live-review-amenra-boris-bristol/">CVLT Nation</a></p>
<p>Amenra & Boris – Thekla, Bristol, UK<br>February 14th 2018</p>
<p>The pairing of Belgian post-metal masters Amenra and experimental Japanese noise-makers Boris on this co-headlong European tour of which the setting of the Thekla in Bristol was the first date was always going to be a dream match for music lovers who revel in the beauty of noise, both bands ability to manipulate that into something beautiful and mystifying was an event that was not to be missed, especially if you were a diehard fan and the packed audience here tonight certainly witnessed something that can only be described as awe inspiring. There may have been some attendees who had come just for Boris or just for Amenra, and if there were, both would have discovered the parallels and similarities that both bands have and the musical kinship that they share. The main thing is that they are both cut from the same sonic cloth and both delivered a masterclass in glorious discordance.</p><!-- more -->
<p>After the doors opened, a short but captivating opening set by cellist Jo Quail started the evening off in a quieter way than what was to follow but one that had a sense of atmosphere nonetheless and it certainly demanded the audiences attention. Quails’ stirring renditions of tracks like White Salt Stag were well received and set the scene for the rest of the night.</p>
<p>After a short while and with the stage bathed in darkness and smoke, Boris appear to a heroes’ welcome from the Bristol audience, with a huge gong behind Atsuo the main focal point, and as the drummer/vocalist takes to his kit with guitarist/vocalist Wata and bassist/vocalist Takeshi either side of the stage, hiding in the shadows, the magnificence of Boris in full effect hits you with force from the very first strains of opening number D.O.W.N – Domination Of Waiting Noise from their latest album Dear and this was certainly an apt number to start the set off with.</p>
<p>The bands set is a cacophony of glorious sound, with Boris on extraordinary form (when they tear through Dystopia – Vanishing Point in particular, the effect is truly devastating) and was a great opportunity to see and hear their latest opus played in full, and with Dear being possibly their heaviest offering yet, it was certainly a treat to witness it in a live setting with the breathtaking Absoluetgo and the closing drone of the albums title track being standout moments from an amazing set. As Atsuo pounds both the drums and the gong throughout, the effect is nothing but mesmerizing and with the other two members nestled in the wings, almost hidden in sight but the noise that they bring is what everyone in attendance here is concentrating on and what a noise it was, and as the band leave the stage to rapturous applause, they know they have conquered Bristol with ease tonight.</p>
<figure class="tmblr-full" data-orig-height="457" data-orig-width="750"><p style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://78.media.tumblr.com/63cf16bfdbd58bc61546d4ed478240e8/tumblr_inline_p4vomvOaQg1qg2879_540.png" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" /></p></figure>
<p>It is with great anticipation that Amenra appear onstage (this being the first date of their very first full U.K. tour) but they do so with no fanfare or acknowledgment and as the striking visuals that play behind the band kick in and they launch straight into the impassioned and chilling Boden, the audience is enthralled from the get go at the power the band posses.</p>
<p>It is a power that doesn’t let up for the duration of the set and as Amenra charge through highlights from their deservedly highly regarded latest album Mass VI, like Plus Pres De Toi and the closing Diaken and older material such as the truly formidable Razoreater, it is simply breathtaking. Vocalist Colin H Van Eekhout howls the bands lyrics with so much passion as the rest of the band provide an apt and ominous soundscape while images both harrowing and beautiful play behind them and those visuals add an extra layer to the bands performance (especially as they tear through Razoreater with images of burning flames, the effect is unreal).<br>The audience stands and takes it all in, utterly hypnotized by what they are witnessing and only stopping to roar their approval and pick their jaws up from the floor.</p>
<figure class="tmblr-full" data-orig-height="501" data-orig-width="750"><p style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://78.media.tumblr.com/3d2739e1516f704ad2926f3a65ed0914/tumblr_inline_p4voh7fOUG1qg2879_540.png" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" /></p></figure>
<p><i>Jan Opdekamp</i></p>
<p>Amenra in the live environment are untouchable, the whole set is more like a totally immersive experience rather than a mere gig and the cathartic nature of both the bands music and the power of their playing is sublime. At times it is harrowing, but this harrowing nature sits comfortably beside the allure of sublimity resulting in a truly awesome performance and as they depart from the stage, the crowd begins to make sense of what has just taken them over. A truly incredible experience and one that will live on long in the memory of everyone who was there tonight, the true power of music, sound, noise and life is embodied in Amenra and the Church Of Ra and the Bristol crowd was lucky to immerse themselves in it tonight.</p>
<p>A stunning end to a truly memorable evening and one that demonstrated the power of music in its most devastating and sublime form.</p>
<figure class="tmblr-full" data-orig-height="1061" data-orig-width="750"><p style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://78.media.tumblr.com/96783ed862632f3e3948411aa8cabf4c/tumblr_inline_p4volvUeUu1qg2879_540.png" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" /></p></figure>US / THEM Grouptag:usthemgroup.com,2005:Post/50964612018-02-23T11:41:34-08:002023-12-10T08:33:03-08:00Boris @ Psycho Las Vegas 2018<figure class="tmblr-full" data-orig-height="1650" data-orig-width="1275"><a contents="" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://vivapsycho.com" target="_blank"><img src="https://78.media.tumblr.com/3dff358b61db5763286dd58502cd1163/tumblr_inline_p4mbytyoML1qg2879_540.jpg" class="size_xl justify_inline border_" /></a></figure>
<p><a contents="Boris" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://borisheavyrocks.com" target="_blank">Boris</a> will be performing at Psycho Las Vegas this August!</p>
<p>Tickets <a href="https://www.vivapsycho.com/pages/tickets">HERE</a></p>US / THEM Grouptag:usthemgroup.com,2005:Post/50819682018-02-15T11:25:09-08:002018-02-15T16:00:48-08:00The Art Of Heavy: An Interview with BORIS // PUREGRAINAUDIO<figure class="tmblr-full" data-orig-height="92" data-orig-width="436"><p style="text-align: center;"><a contents="" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://puregrainaudio.com/interviews/the-art-of-heavy-an-interview-with-boris-takeshi-and-amenra-s-colin-h-van-eeckhout" target="_blank"><img src="https://78.media.tumblr.com/57cfceee5fbf9a1fc009139ee9503260/tumblr_inline_p47ho3kBuX1qg2879_540.png" class="size_xl justify_inline border_" alt="image" /></a></p></figure>
<figure class="tmblr-full" data-orig-height="122" data-orig-width="824"><a contents="" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://puregrainaudio.com/interviews/the-art-of-heavy-an-interview-with-boris-takeshi-and-amenra-s-colin-h-van-eeckhout" target="_blank"><img src="https://78.media.tumblr.com/a2154cd3dc635a9de02afbfd27f7642f/tumblr_inline_p47ho3if8R1qg2879_540.png" class="size_xl justify_inline border_" alt="image" /></a></figure>
<figure class="tmblr-full" data-orig-height="704" data-orig-width="1057"><a contents="" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://puregrainaudio.com/interviews/the-art-of-heavy-an-interview-with-boris-takeshi-and-amenra-s-colin-h-van-eeckhout" target="_blank"><img src="https://78.media.tumblr.com/76e0135e80836930508a8d4b998f3255/tumblr_inline_p47ho4Dv3i1qg2879_540.jpg" class="size_xl justify_inline border_" alt="image" /></a></figure>
<p>Full article via <a contents="Pure Grain Audio" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://puregrainaudio.com/interviews/the-art-of-heavy-an-interview-with-boris-takeshi-and-amenra-s-colin-h-van-eeckhout" target="_blank">Pure Grain Audio</a>. </p>
<p>This week, two metal titans – <a href="http://sargenthouse.com/boris">Boris</a> of Japan and Amenraof Belgium – embark on a co-headlining tour of Europe. Both are bands known for their intense music and equally intense live shows – albeit in different ways – with a wealth of material behind them and a core of dedicated listeners. Boris celebrated their twenty-fifth anniversary last year with the album DEAR, a celebration of all things Boris, and a glorious final statement from the band. Amenra, too, are approaching their second decade as a band, maintaining a steady and consistent creative output through personal turmoil and band member side-projects. Last year’s Mass VI is as emotionally heavy and soul-bearing as any of the project’s works; more than any band, Amenra channel their strength through hardship. With the first date of the tour on the horizon, Takeshi of Boris and Colin H. van Eeckhout of Amenra kindly took the time to answer questions I had for them about their bands’ legacies, creative processes and their relationship with each other.</p><!-- more -->
<p>The marriage between the two bands may seem all too obvious for heavy music listeners; though the bands are not wholly familiar with each other’s music on a personal level, it was evident that both bands had a mutual respect for one another’s art; “Both bands have a vision that is remarkable.” Colin van Eeckhout of Amenra remarks “Boris’ free will is something intriguing to me. They write the music they want to in total freedom,” a mutual respect shared by Boris too, as Takeshi says “Amenra have their own style and idea, I respect what they are doing and am very looking forward to playing with them. It is exciting to see what chemistry between them and Boris is made during the tour.” Eeckhout added “Both bands have a crossover audience, yet bring two worlds within heavy music together. That’s what it is all about for Amenra, bringing people together.”</p>
<p>Boris’ DEAR is their twenty-third album and dropped on July 14, 2017 via Sargent House.</p>
<figure class="tmblr-full" data-orig-height="1302" data-orig-width="1302"><p style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://78.media.tumblr.com/d189be7b73fcbece55bc4f1a88358fd5/tumblr_inline_p47hv9N9F71qg2879_540.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="image" /></p></figure>
<p>Despite a quarter of a century behind them now, Boris show no signs of stopping for reflection; “We won’t slow down for new sound and music at all, that is our main goal.” From drone metal classics like Absolutego (1996) and Feedbacker (2003), to 2005’s shoegaze and noise rock-influenced Pink, to experiments in new genres with albums like New Album and Attention Please in 2011, Boris’ output has always been as varied as it has been prolific. However, the band themselves have never considered these albums so disparate; “I know lots of people are saying Boris have numerous musical styles, but to us all styles are deeply connected at the bottom end.” Whatever sonic territory Boris tread, they have an ability to remain unmistakably ‘Boris’. With the band now standing at 23 studio albums, as well as numerous EPs and live albums, it can be difficult to know where to start, something which the band themselves are well aware of; “We usually don’t look back at what we have done in the past, but also do understand we should maintain our catalog and archive for our fans in order to show them appropriately.” Even though they are an unwaveringly forward-thinking and experimental band, Boris understand the need to preserve their past works and for accessibility to new listeners.</p>
<p>For many, the quintessential setting for Amenra’s music is live, with their music described as bordering on ‘spiritual’ and their shows as entrancing and communal [1], something Amenra acknowledge themselves; “The religious nature of our music has grown from personal experience” Eeckhout explains. Whether the allusions to religious ceremony are intentional or not, “I believe you cannot ‘construct’ a spiritual aspect for other people, I would not know of a blueprint to that in music making…” Amenra’s ‘masses’ can be seen more as a communion for personal introspection and healing. From the accounts of fans, an Amenra show can be as cathartic for them as it is for the band themselves; “The religious nature of our music has grown from personal experience, and outsiders also talking about its “healing” nature, [this] only confirmed what we suspected, or felt ourselves… A lot of people share their testimonies why Amenra means so much to them. Or they come up to us after shows and sometimes have pretty deep conversations about it.”</p>
<p>The cover art for Amenra’s Mass VI. The album dropped on October 20, 2017 via Neurot Recordings.</p>
<figure class="tmblr-full" data-orig-height="558" data-orig-width="620"><p style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://78.media.tumblr.com/91e792a89af91676a686bac0487ee2eb/tumblr_inline_p47hvk26SF1qg2879_540.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="image" /></p></figure>
<p>For Amenra, the experience of a live concert is first and foremost something to experience viscerally; “People can really dive into our music or ‘the moment' live, mostly they look into themselves. and let the sonic wave hit them.” Their live spectacle is aided by the usage of projected visuals on-stage; unlike many frontmen, Eeckhout performs with his back to the audience, a move that ultimately directs the focus to the band as a whole and the accompanying images rather than simply the vocalist. For Amenra, each performance is so much more than a ‘rock show’; the imagery and music, as well as each individual member of the band, are of equal importance; “The images are an aid to lose yourself within the moment. They reinforce the music, and make it easier on each member of the crowd, to forget where they are, the concert venue, the stage, the people around you, etc..”</p>
<p>Now approaching their twentieth year as a band, Eeckhout contemplated on how the group has changed over their time together; “It has evolved like all humans evolve in 20 years. Our friendships and lives have grown stronger. Our lives more difficult, we’ve lived through more adversity.” Indeed, while Amenra’s music and performance can be theatrical and ear-splitting, it has always looked inwards to personal hardships for inspiration; this kind of catharsis is paramount to the band’s creative process “…our direction will always be our own lives, and sentiment; our stance and views in, and on, life… We had never set goals, we just did what we felt we had to do, for ourselves and nobody else.” There’s a kind of palpable urgency and frustration in Amenra’s music, a deep and natural rage, their music a vessel through which to channel it. Even with side-projects like Oathbreaker and Wiegedood within the eponymous ‘Church of Ra’, with Amenra the centrepiece in the collective, Eeckhout believes “I think there is no other band than Amenra that discusses as much; the what and why of everything.”</p>
<p>Oh, dear. Stream and hear Boris’ DEAR right here.</p>
<p><iframe src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=2096633116/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/transparent=true/">&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href=“http://boris.bandcamp.com/album/dear”&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Dear by Boris&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;</iframe></p>
<p>While Amenra draws directly from hardship and adversity to create their art, Boris embrace the spirit of improvisation more so than many metal bands. The band has always maintained a spontaneous approach to music writing, evidenced in early pieces like Flood and Feedbacker which slowly evolve across repeating motifs and riffs; “Basically, we don’t write songs, just go into the studio and jam together, then we have some idea and that will lead us to a specific direction.” Even when preconceived ideas are brought into the mix, the band enjoy leaving the songwriting process open to whatever comes to them; “I wouldn’t rule out any strategy. Whatever the case the song will lead us where we should go.” Understandable, when one considers the many sonic faces Boris have worn over the years.</p>
<p>Boris’ improvisational nature is becoming more and more reflected in their live performances, too; “All songs are living things, they will show us very different mood and sound whenever we play them live. Our songs have undescriptive silence, tempo and mood, so we will add another texture every time.” Between this, their prolific catalog and genre experimentation, Boris continue their tradition unpredictable and free-spirited creation twenty-five years deep into their career, and clearly have no plans to stop working any time soon; “I can’t thank enough to our fans and their endless support is driving force of the band, I really appreciate it. Boris are feeling we have something like responsibility to our fans and that feeling is getting way stronger than before.”</p>
<p>Amenra and Boris began their co-headlining tour of Europe on February 14th starting in Bristol (UK) through to Haarlem (Netherlands) on March 4th.</p>US / THEM Grouptag:usthemgroup.com,2005:Post/50795522018-02-14T11:24:14-08:002018-02-14T13:00:55-08:00Boris X Amenra UK Tour Starts TONIGHT<figure class="tmblr-full" data-orig-height="1200" data-orig-width="848"><img src="https://78.media.tumblr.com/b8cf1532a6fd2ac69d582ce54a546df9/tumblr_inline_p45mz74Igi1qg2879_540.jpg" class="size_xl justify_inline border_" alt="image" /></figure><!-- more -->
<p>UK<br>FEB 14 Bristol, UK @ Thekla<br>FEB 15 London, UK @ Heaven<br>FEB 16 Norwich, UK @ Arts Centre<br>FEB 17 Nottingham, UK @ Rescue Rooms<br>FEB 18 Manchester, UK @ Gorilla<br>FEB 19 Glasgow, UK @ St. Lukes<br>FEB 20 Leeds, UK @ Brudenell Social Club </p>
<p>EU<br>FEB 21 Lille, FR @ Aeronef<br>FEB 23 Dresden, DE @ Beatpol<br>FEB 24 Warsaw, PL @ Progresja<br>FEB 25 Prague, CZ @ Palac Akropolis<br>FEB 26 Budapest, HU @ A38<br>FEB 27 Ljubljana, SI @ Kino Siska<br>FEB 28 Bologna, IT @ Locomotiv<br>MAR 01 Rome, IT @ Monk<br>MAR 02 Milan, IT @ Santeria Social Club<br>MAR 03 Karlsruhe, DE @ Jubez<br>MAR 04 Haarlem, NE @ Patronaat<br> </p>US / THEM Grouptag:usthemgroup.com,2005:Post/50581372018-02-02T10:34:07-08:002018-02-02T10:45:30-08:00Interview:Boris // ATTN:Magazine<figure class="tmblr-full" data-orig-height="602" data-orig-width="1105"><figure class="tmblr-full" data-orig-height="595" data-orig-width="1125"><figure class="tmblr-full" data-orig-height="595" data-orig-width="1125"><a contents="" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.attnmagazine.co.uk/features/13030" target="_blank"><img src="https://78.media.tumblr.com/cd2bd2222cdf59a3625082cc2f1f21d9/tumblr_inline_p3jd6ta4Pg1qbzv4w_540.png" class="size_xl justify_inline border_" /></a></figure></figure></figure>
<p>Full article via <a href="https://www.attnmagazine.co.uk/features/13030">ATTN:Magazine</a></p>
<p><i>I am forever captivated by <a href="http://www.borisheavyrocks.com/">Boris</a>. I can’t think of many other bands that harness such a playful relationship with identity and legacy, either by releasing records that run against the trajectory of their previous work – such as those <a href="https://boris.bandcamp.com/album/new-album">inexplicable turns into pop</a> or <a href="https://boris.bandcamp.com/album/pink-deluxe-edition">bursts of psychedelic punk</a> – or by tampering with their own discography, putting out drastically <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KoggbsG8Njk">different</a> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W3MAa4drRVQ&t">versions</a> of the same record, or <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l1ocv6xsvdg">recycling their own album titles</a> to obscure all attempts to trace their chronology. If there’s one central facet to the Japanese trio, it’s the notion of “heaviness”: the stretching of heaviness across crumbling guitar drones, the blizzards of heaviness that collide in their <a href="https://borismerzbow.bandcamp.com/album/gensho">collaborations with Merzbow</a>…even the palpable absence of heaviness that carries their detours into quieter, more shoegazing territory.</i></p><!-- more -->
<p>On their 2017 album <a href="https://boris.bandcamp.com/album/dear">Dear</a>, heaviness became a conduit for both obliteration and optimism. The album cuts between sludge and sunlight, renewing my appreciation for space by suffocating it. After enduring the weight of “Absolutego”, I’m doubly grateful for the calm, spacious waltz at the opening of “Beyond”, which in turn beckons the hail of gong and distortion that marks the commencement of “Kagero”.</p>
<p>The band will shortly be heading out on a UK/EU tour with <a href="http://amenra-official.tumblr.com/">Amenra</a>. Check out the dates <a href="https://www.attnmagazine.co.uk/features/13030#anchor">here</a>. Below, guitarist Takeshi and I discuss shaking the air, ritualistic performances and pushing beyond the negative surface of death.</p>
<p><b>You’re heading out on tour with Amenra next month. Have you spent much time with Amenra previously? Are there any particular aspects of the tour that you are looking forward to?</b></p>
<p>Back in 2016, Amenra’s guitar player Mathieu [Vandekerckhove] opened Boris shows in Moscow and St. Petersburg as a solo unit. He was a very good musician and a nice person as well. Then I listened to a couple of Amenra records and definitely had sympathy with them, because their music sounds very deep. I am very much looking forward to sharing the stage with them.</p>
<p><b>When I first pressed play on Dear, I was struck by the vitality of the record. Even after 25 years, it sounds like you’re still inspired and enthused by eachother. Do you have any thoughts on what has allowed Boris to remain so fresh and urgent after all this time?</b></p>
<p>Since our earlier days, we haven’t looked back at what we did in the past. We just move forward to look for new sounds and music. It is obvious that circumstances of the entire world or my situation change so quickly, and Boris try to keep updated in what we do. Simply put, Boris would like to deliver new and fresh stuff to fans – nothing has changed for 25 years.</p>
<p><b>I’ve seen you describe Dear as “heavenly”, and there’s definitely something very positive about the tone of the record. Do you see Dear as an uplifting release? If so, are there any particular reasons that it turned out this way?</b></p>
<p>As you can see from the song titles and cover art of Dear, it definitely has concept of “death” or “the end of the world” at the very basic and deep level, though I would like to see a bright and beautiful world beyond the negative surface of death or the end. I am so grateful that you can feel something positive and uplifting vibe from Dear. Thank you.</p>
<p><b>I hear that you deliberately scaled down the instrumentation for Dear. Could you tell me what this reduction process looked like? How did you decide on the essential elements (in terms of instruments and equipment) for Dear?</b></p>
<p>During recording and jam sessions, we tried numerous methods and various ways of playing. Now we prefer to play less notes at the strongest impact, so that both Wata’s and my playing have greater interaction. I tend to pick up an instrument that has a “thrilling” taste – I mean, I love unexpected and even faulty tones because they carry more information than one that’s more planned.</p>
<p><b>I understand that the final tracklist of Dear was whittled down from three albums’ worth of material. How did you find the process of reducing this tracklist down to just 10 songs? </b></p>
<p>Well, it is not special for us to reduce many songs to the final tracklist. Whenever we work on new record we omit lots of stuff, and thus have a bunch of unreleased songs. After a long tour or a new experience we get inspiration for a new concept, then a certain song will lead us to the final tracklist of the album.</p>
<p><b>You’ve been playing your instruments for several decades now. Have you noticed any changes in your relationship with your instruments over the years? Do you think differently about playing them, or about their sonic potential?</b></p>
<p>When I first played guitar, my major focus was “playing” and repeatability more than expression. At some point I realised that nothing is going to happen if I continue to play in that way, then my playing style changed. To us right now, musical instruments are just sonic devices to shake air and to make some atmosphere to share with the audience. The most important aspect of musical instruments is how they can “connect” with others. “Playing music” is way too easy.</p>
<figure class="tmblr-embed tmblr-full" data-orig-height="304" data-orig-width="540" data-provider="youtube" data-url="https%3A%2F%2Fyoutu.be%2F9ZUhdqx9VtE"><iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="304" id="youtube_iframe" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/9ZUhdqx9VtE?feature=oembed&enablejsapi=1&origin=https://safe.txmblr.com&wmode=opaque" width="540"></iframe></figure>
<p><b>How have you found the experience of playing the new material on stage? Given the distilled density of this music, it feels like a record that would really lend itself to being performed live.</b></p>
<p>Definitely. All songs are living things. They show us very different moods and sounds whenever we play them live. You know, the score has an undescriptive silence, tempo and mood – they lead us to how they would best like to be played, especially at shows. Maybe it seems to be a ritual more than performance – every song on Dear certainly has that vibe.</p>
<p><b>What albums are you listening to at the moment?</b></p>
<p>In fact I haven’t listened to new music these days. I am more into movies and books. More than that, I am inspired by them.</p>
<p><b>I’ve seen you mention that Dear started off as a farewell letter. A lot of writers have noted that it feels like the conclusion to something. What does the future of Boris look like? Is it possible to say whether there will be any more releases from you in the future? </b></p>
<p>We had a hard time around 2014, due to family issues and unexpected events. During that period we were unsure if we could continue as Boris or not, so we wanted to write songs as much as we could and record whatever we had to leave. Luckily enough of these things have cleared now, and we are very excited and happy to play and write music as Boris. I can’t thank our fans enough – their endless support is driving force of the band. I really appreciate it, and that is one of the main reasons that Boris have to present fresh stuff to our loyal fans.</p>US / THEM Grouptag:usthemgroup.com,2005:Post/50548662018-01-31T10:41:29-08:002018-01-31T17:45:37-08:00Boris & Merzbow // Roskilde Festival 2018<figure class="tmblr-full" data-orig-height="720" data-orig-width="960"><img src="https://78.media.tumblr.com/17ce8395a6f99da8a183d34e9d2deaab/tumblr_inline_p3fnrtGoYI1qg2879_540.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" /></figure><p>Important announcement! <a href="http://borisheavyrocks.com">Boris</a> & <a href="http://merzbow.net/">Merzbow</a> are playing Roskilde Festival 2018 in Denmark!!</p><p>More info <a href="https://www.roskilde-festival.dk/">HERE</a><br></p>US / THEM Grouptag:usthemgroup.com,2005:Post/50381332018-01-22T10:34:46-08:002018-01-22T21:30:29-08:00HEAR THIS: Boris // The Owl Mag<figure class="tmblr-full" data-orig-height="144" data-orig-width="328"><img src="https://78.media.tumblr.com/48cd7dc97ee833540e66d11d3746942f/tumblr_inline_p2yyp1J5cn1qg2879_540.png" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" /></figure><figure class="tmblr-full" data-orig-height="298" data-orig-width="595"><img src="https://78.media.tumblr.com/2ae7a5132ed47678457919f821b67ffb/tumblr_inline_p2yyr72Ti11qg2879_540.png" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" /></figure><p><a href="http://borisheavyrocks.com">Boris</a> have been around for a couple decades, spreading their doom and gloom through demented speakers. From a heavy rock sound to pure bass-filled dread, this Tokyo-based band has honed their own form: where Sunn 0))) is soul-crushingly twisted, Boris crafts passages imbued with the excitement of guitarist Wata and vocalist Takeshi Ohtani (“Pink”).</p><p>On their recent release <a href="https://boris.bandcamp.com/album/dear">Dear</a>, the band still look to their roots, implementing the essence of shoegaze (“Biotope”) and still rocketing a flair for doom (“The Power”). Blast Boris from your garage and bask in the glory of the low, low notes.</p><figure class="tmblr-embed tmblr-full" data-provider="youtube" data-orig-width="540" data-orig-height="304" data-url="https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DY4ScCDWamkY"><iframe width="540" height="304" id="youtube_iframe" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Y4ScCDWamkY?feature=oembed&enablejsapi=1&origin=https://safe.txmblr.com&wmode=opaque" frameborder="0" gesture="media" allow="encrypted-media" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></figure><p>Full article by <a href="http://www.theowlmag.com/author/dustin-ragucos/">Dustin Ragucos</a> via <a href="http://www.theowlmag.com/discovery/hear-this-boris/">The Owl Mag</a><br></p>US / THEM Grouptag:usthemgroup.com,2005:Post/49854642017-12-19T14:27:15-08:002017-12-19T19:30:50-08:00Boris – Dear // Invisible Oranges Top Albums of 2017<figure class="tmblr-full" data-orig-height="103" data-orig-width="358"><img src="https://78.media.tumblr.com/6ab84939ed032589311d785b322cda6a/tumblr_inline_p18bgnpxC01qg2879_540.png" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" /></figure><figure class="tmblr-full" data-orig-height="630" data-orig-width="630"><img src="https://78.media.tumblr.com/d1b04696526879fc4935ffad1ccc732d/tumblr_inline_p18bijf0gS1qg2879_540.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" /></figure><p><b><a href="https://boris.bandcamp.com/album/dear">Boris – Dear</a> </b> (<a href="http://sargenthouse.com">Sargent House</a>, Japan)</p><p>I haven’t heard <i>all</i> of Boris’ gigantic discography of studio albums, collaborative albums, live albums, EPs, and whatever other projects they’ve released in the past 25 years, but <i>Dear</i> immediately hit me as one of my favorite Boris albums in a while. The sludge parts are at their most crushing, the dream pop parts are at their most beautiful, and <i>Dear</i> really feels trimmed of all possible fat. Boris say they wrote three albums worth of material and cut it down to ten songs, and you can feel the efforts of that editing process in this concise album. Every song feels like it belongs, and every song brings something unique to the table. Some of this year’s best examples of multiple genres of rock are all found on this one album. “Absolutego” is one of the year’s best heavy rock bangers, “Biotope” is one of the year’s best shoegaze songs, and “Distopia -Vanishing Point” is one of the year’s best progressive rock songs. Though <i>Dear</i> will not likely go down as one of Boris’ all-time classics, it ends up being a good starting point for the uninitiated. It takes all of their strongest sides from over the years and puts them on one cohesive album.</p><p>Listen <a href="https://boris.bandcamp.com/album/dear">here</a>.</p><p>Full list by Andrew Sacher via <a href="http://www.invisibleoranges.com/top-albums-of-2017-andrew-sacher/">Invisible Oranges</a></p>US / THEM Grouptag:usthemgroup.com,2005:Post/49779542017-12-14T10:42:42-08:002017-12-14T16:15:18-08:00Boris Announce Roadburn 2018 with Stephen O’Malley performing “Absolutego(1996)”<figure data-orig-width="998" data-orig-height="1406" class="tmblr-full"><img src="https://78.media.tumblr.com/b30cfb48f051d1ee71a5eb7064faa80a/tumblr_inline_p0yrujAQOm1qbzv4w_540.png" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" /></figure><p>Just announced : <a href="https://sargenthouse.com/boris">Boris</a> with Stephen O'Malley perfoming “Absolutego(1996)” at Roadburn 2018 Saturday April 21st 013 venue, Tilburg - The Netherlands. More information <a href="http://roadburn.com/">here.</a><br></p>US / THEM Grouptag:usthemgroup.com,2005:Post/49587052017-12-01T10:51:13-08:002017-12-01T15:00:50-08:00Boris Streams New Goth Trad Version Of Deadsong Track // Ghost Cult<figure data-orig-width="1000" data-orig-height="288" class="tmblr-full"><img src="https://78.media.tumblr.com/4636a2c8fce0556d60de1c58b094a4ed/tumblr_inline_p0apjzV5Aw1qg2879_540.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" /></figure><figure class="tmblr-embed tmblr-full" data-provider="youtube" data-orig-width="540" data-orig-height="304" data-url="https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DtmnoFfAY9gI"><iframe width="540" height="304" id="youtube_iframe" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/tmnoFfAY9gI?feature=oembed&enablejsapi=1&origin=https://safe.txmblr.com&wmode=opaque" frameborder="0" gesture="media" allow="encrypted-media" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></figure><p>Stream the track<a href="https://www.residentadvisor.net/tracks/885333"> here</a><br></p><p><a href="http://borisheavyrocks.com">Boris</a> continues to impress at every step forward in their career. The band has shared a re-imagining of their track ‘Deadsong’ by Goth Trad, with both a streaming single and a video. They have also booked a co-headline tour with Amenra for early 2018. The band will be on the road in 2018 supporting their recent album <i>Dear</i>, out now via the<b> </b><a href="http://sargenthouse.com">Sargent House</a> label.<br></p><p>Full article via <a href="http://www.ghostcultmag.com/boris-streams-new-goth-trad-version-of-deadsong-track-books-tour-with-amenra/">Ghost Cult</a></p>US / THEM Grouptag:usthemgroup.com,2005:Post/49547862017-11-29T11:39:46-08:002017-11-29T12:00:49-08:00Atsuo’s Photo Diary // Boris N.America 2017<figure class="tmblr-full" data-orig-height="960" data-orig-width="680"><img src="https://78.media.tumblr.com/cb554fea55fb62e0fc7a1cead53defe4/tumblr_inline_p072ewzekg1qg2879_540.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" /></figure><p>Dear special site “Atsuo’s Photo Diary N.America 2017” update! <a href="http://borisheavyrocks.com">Boris</a>’s longest tour Wrapped up!! 今回もお付き合いありがとうございました。<br></p><p>Full <a href="http://www.borisheavyrocks.com/dear/index.html#photo">P</a>hoto Diary <a href="http://www.borisheavyrocks.com/dear/index.html#photo">HERE</a><br></p>US / THEM Grouptag:usthemgroup.com,2005:Post/49428832017-11-21T10:46:19-08:002017-11-21T11:30:26-08:00Boris European Tour 2018 Announced<figure class="tmblr-full" data-orig-height="1120" data-orig-width="800"><img src="https://78.media.tumblr.com/179f9c3bce910ee9ea2a67b7e779c7fe/tumblr_inline_ozs5z7xxeh1qg2879_540.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" /></figure>
<h2> Boris & Amenra 2018 tour dates</h2>
<p>FEB 14 Bristol, UK @ Thekla<br>FEB 15 London, UK @ Heaven<br>FEB 16 Norwich, UK @ Arts Centre<br>FEB 17 Nottingham, UK @ Rescue Rooms<br>FEB 18 Manchester, UK @ Gorilla<br>FEB 19 Glasgow, UK @ St. Lukes<br>FEB 20 Leeds, UK @ Brudenell Social Club<br>FEB 21 Lille, FR @ Aeronef<br>FEB 23 Dresden, DE @ Beatpol<br>FEB 24 Warsaw, PL @ Progresja<br>FEB 25 Prague, CZ @ Palac Akropolis<br>FEB 26 Budapest, HU @ A38<br>FEB 27 Ljubljana, SI @ Kino Siska<br>FEB 28 Bologna, IT @ Locomotiv<br>MAR 01 Rome, IT @ Monk<br>MAR 02 Milan, IT @ Santeria Social Club<br>MAR 03 Karlsruhe, DE @ Jubez<br>MAR 04 Haarlem, NE @ Patronaat</p>US / THEM Grouptag:usthemgroup.com,2005:Post/49420422017-11-20T16:54:46-08:002017-11-20T22:30:24-08:00Boris: Live at Third Man Records // Black Friday<figure class="tmblr-full" data-orig-height="600" data-orig-width="600"><img src="https://78.media.tumblr.com/788d04f6885925e2f3bd7b64cc8216a7/tumblr_inline_ozqt6ozWjV1qg2879_540.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" /></figure><p><a href="https://thirdmanrecords.com/news/record-store-day-black-friday-2017-releases">Boris: Live At Third Man Records</a><br>Japanese experimental metal greats <a href="http://borisheavyrocks.com">Boris</a> recorded live in the Blue Room on August 1, 2016, and the band’s set will get its own vinyl release for Record Store Day Black Friday.<br></p>US / THEM Grouptag:usthemgroup.com,2005:Post/49128402017-10-30T11:51:49-07:002017-10-30T21:45:19-07:00Boris Adds DC Show To US Tour<figure class="tmblr-full" data-orig-height="5100" data-orig-width="3300"><img src="https://78.media.tumblr.com/5f889d8ebe89da254aa09aebef68c646/tumblr_inline_oyngclgwIP1qg2879_540.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" /></figure><p>Dates Below:</p><p>OCT 31 - Allston, MA @ Brighton Music Hall ~ <br>NOV 01 - Brooklyn, NY @ Warsaw ~<br>NOV 03 - Washington DC @ Rock N Roll Hotel ~<br>NOV 04 - Durham, NC @ Motorco ~<br>NOV 05 - Knoxville, TN @ The Concourse ~ <br>NOV 07 - Atlanta, GA @ The Masquerade, Hell Stage ~ <br>NOV 08 - Nashville, TN @ Exit / In ~ <br>NOV 09 - Birmingham, AL @ Saturn $ <br>NOV 10 - New Orleans, LA @ One Eyed Jacks $ <br>NOV 12 - McDade, TX @ Sound on Sound Fest <br>NOV 14 - Albuquerque, NM @ Sister + <br>NOV 15 - Phoenix, AZ @ Crescent Ballroom #<br>NOV 16 - Las Vegas, NV @ Bunkhouse Saloon #<br>NOV 17 - San Diego, CA @ Casbah #<br>NOV 18 - Los Angeles, CA @ Echoplex</p><p>+ = w/ Helms Alee, Endon <br>
~ = w/ Mutoid Man, Endon <br>
$ = w/ Thou, Endon <br>
# = w/ Torche, Endon</p>US / THEM Grouptag:usthemgroup.com,2005:Post/48558912017-09-18T17:28:21-07:002018-09-11T16:43:58-07:00Boris North American Tour<figure class="tmblr-full" data-orig-height="3508" data-orig-width="2480"><img src="https://68.media.tumblr.com/d255489bff3e18cdf71743473b24a19f/tumblr_inline_owi3xbD5261qg2879_540.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" /></figure><p><a href="https://sargenthouse.com/boris">Boris</a> will begin their North American tour soon. Tickets and information <a href="https://sargenthouse.com/boris">here. </a></p><p>Dates below:</p><p>OCT 03 - Fresno, CA @ Strummers * <br>
OCT 04 - Sacramento, CA @ Harlow’s * <br>
OCT 06 - Eugene, OR @ WOW Hall ^ <br>
OCT 07 - Seattle, WA @ Neumo’s ^ <br>
OCT 08 - Vancouver, BC @ Rickshaw Theatre ^ <br>
OCT 09 - Portland, OR @ Doug Fir Lounge ^ <br>
OCT 11 - San Francisco, CA @ The Independent ^ <br>
OCT 13 - Joshua Tree, CA @ Desert Daze Fest <br>
OCT 14 - Tucson, AZ @ 191 Toole % <br>
OCT 16 - Salt Lake City, UT @ Metro Music Hall % <br>
OCT 17 - Denver, CO @ Bluebird Theater % <br>
OCT 19 - Lawrence, KS @ Granada Theatre % <br>
OCT 20 - Omaha, NE @ The Waiting Room % <br>
OCT 21 - Minneapolis, MN @ Triple Rock Social Club + <br>
OCT 22 - Milwaukee, WI @ Turner Hall + <br>
OCT 23 - Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall + <br>
OCT 25 - Detroit, MI @ El Club + <br>
OCT 26 - Cleveland, OH @ Grog Shop + <br>
OCT 27 - Millvale, PA @ Mr Smalls + <br>
OCT 28 - Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer + <br>
OCT 29 - Baltimore, MD @ Rams Head Live! (Days of Darkness) <br>
OCT 31 - Allston, MA @ Brighton Music Hall ~ <br>
NOV 01 - Brooklyn, NY @ Warsaw ~ <br>
NOV 04 - Durham, NC @ Motorco ~ <br>
NOV 05 - Knoxville, TN @ The Concourse ~ <br>
NOV 07 - Atlanta, GA @ The Masquerade, Hell Stage ~ <br>
NOV 08 - Nashville, TN @ Exit / In ~ <br>
NOV 09 - Birmingham, AL @ Saturn $ <br>
NOV 10 - New Orleans, LA @ One Eyed Jacks $ <br>
NOV 12 - McDade, TX @ Sound on Sound Fest <br>
NOV 14 - Albuquerque, NM @ Sister + <br>
NOV 15 - Phoenix, AZ @ Crescent Ballroom #<br>NOV 16 - Las Vegas, NV @ Bunkhouse Saloon #<br>NOV 17 - San Diego, CA @ Casbah #<br>NOV 18 - Los Angeles, CA @ Echoplex</p><p>* = w/ Endon <br>
^ = w/ Sumac, Endon <br>
% = w/ Subrosa, Endon <br>
+ = w/ Helms Alee, Endon <br>
~ = w/ Mutoid Man, Endon <br>
$ = w/ Thou, Endon <br>
# = w/ Torche, Endon</p>US / THEM Grouptag:usthemgroup.com,2005:Post/48020132017-08-03T10:39:00-07:002017-08-03T16:33:41-07:00BORIS EU Tour Starts Today<figure class="tmblr-full" data-orig-height="300" data-orig-width="597"><img src="https://68.media.tumblr.com/7ba9a3597530e5e1f08d35616084c23a/tumblr_inline_ou4ebzFZo41qg2879_540.png" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" /></figure><p>AUG 03 - Moscow, Volta - RU<br>AUG 04 - St. Petersburg, ClubZal - RU<br>AUG 05 - Vienna, Szene - AT<br>AUG 06 - Katowice, OFF Festival - PL<br>AUG 07- Leipzig, Naumans - DE<br>AUG 08 - Berlin, Lido - DE<br>AUG 09 - Jaromer, Brutal Assault - CZ<br>AUG 10 - Munich, Backstage - DE<br>AUG 11 - Frankfurt, Das Bett - DE<br>AUG 12- Lausanne, Rock Altitude - CH<br>AUG 13 - Ieper, Ieperfest - BE<br>AUG 15 - Cologne, Underground - DE<br>AUG 16 - Hamburg, Hafenklang - DE<br>AUG 17 - Bielefeld, Forum - DE<br>AUG 18 - Amstelveen, P60 - NL<br>AUG 19 - Bristol, Arctangent Festival - UK<br>AUG 20 - Dublin, Whelans - IE<br>AUG 21 - Cork, Cyprus Avenue - IE<br>AUG 23 - Belfast, Limelight - NIE<br>AUG 25 - Helsinki, Nosturi - FI<br></p><p>Tickets<a href="https://www.songkick.com/artists/550512-boris"> HERE</a>.</p>US / THEM Grouptag:usthemgroup.com,2005:Post/48006882017-08-02T10:29:24-07:002017-08-02T16:08:41-07:00Boris Release Video For “The Power”<iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Y4ScCDWamkY" width="560" height="315" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0"></iframe>US / THEM Grouptag:usthemgroup.com,2005:Post/47993472017-08-01T14:20:39-07:002017-08-01T15:34:25-07:00Boris named #1 Best Metal Track // Stereogum<figure data-orig-width="502" data-orig-height="90" class="tmblr-full"><img src="https://68.media.tumblr.com/11acbde8a57ea5d8b475a40ffd6eef16/tumblr_inline_ou0z05Qp6H1qg2879_540.png" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" /></figure><figure data-orig-width="1356" data-orig-height="332" class="tmblr-full"><img src="https://68.media.tumblr.com/65c7cf473d870a9ec08f65d10e9e34cd/tumblr_inline_ou0z01YskS1qg2879_540.png" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" /></figure><figure data-orig-width="1244" data-orig-height="1002" class="tmblr-full"><img src="https://68.media.tumblr.com/d56e1b657e97f6a199c9d2df7dbcba7f/tumblr_inline_ou0z0gEYMH1qg2879_540.png" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" /></figure><figure data-orig-width="1294" data-orig-height="200" class="tmblr-full"><img src="https://68.media.tumblr.com/68debfb0870ac276f5485f4f8536c4f0/tumblr_inline_ou0z0lQKiQ1qg2879_540.png" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" /></figure><iframe src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=2096633116/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/artwork=small/transparent=true/">&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href=“http://boris.bandcamp.com/album/dear”&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Dear by Boris&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;</iframe><p></p><!-- more --><p>Full disclosure: I’m not the most knowledgeable on <a href="https://sargenthouse.com/boris">Boris</a>’ 80+ (!) release back catalog. I’ve heard the early bowel-tickling, amp-worshipping drone stuff (kinda neat, kinda boring), and I’ve heard some of the mid-period stuff that made them momentary Pitchfork darlings (see <a href="http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/1185-pink/">2006 highlight Pink</a>). I’ve also seen ‘em live a few times, which is enough to realize these guys are capable of serious brilliance, even as their restlessly schizophrenic discography jumps from head-scratching weirdness (they did an EP with the singer of the Cult, for example) to shockingly perfect new combinations of sound. The new album, Dear, is the first one in years that I’ve really spent time with, and it falls squarely in the latter category, blending thick doom and grueling sludge with minimalistic shoegaze, in turns crushing and tender. If I knew the band better I might know precisely how this slots into the larger mosaic of their career, but I don’t, so I won’t pretend to: all I know is Dear, the band’s 26th full-length album (or thereabouts), makes for a wonderful entry-point into a daunting catalog. As much as it feels like a cohesive release, the band never sits still, burning through pure doom-riffing workouts (<a href="https://boris.bandcamp.com/track/the-power">“The Power”</a>); rumbling drone exorcisms (<a href="https://boris.bandcamp.com/track/deadsong">“DEADSONG”</a>); fractured dream pop minimalism that makes me want to use words like gauzy, gossamer, and gorgeous (<a href="https://boris.bandcamp.com/track/beyond">“Beyond”</a>; heavy shoegaze bliss (<a href="https://boris.bandcamp.com/track/biotope">“Biotope”</a>, one of the best moments on the record); and epic combinations of the above, which are somehow even more striking for their sprawling audacity (<a href="https://boris.bandcamp.com/track/dystopia-vanishing-point">“Dystopia -Vanishing Point-“</a>, a 12-minute behemoth that explodes with screaming leads, like latter-day J. Mascis at his best). The track I’m sharing here, “Memento Mori,” is one of the more straightforward “metal” tracks, but it’s this perfectly contained world unto itself: as heavy, cinematic, and haunting as anything I’ve heard this year. Doom chords latch onto a gallows-trudge of a drumbeat, but the darkness is deceptive: a mellotron fades in, slowly inverting the mood, and Takeshi’s vocals are warm, heartfelt, and chest-swelling — then the song drops away for an unexpectedly quiet finish. It’s hard to describe the actual combination of sounds because it seems so simple on the surface. I’m not quite sure what they tap into to make a song this achingly perfect, but this is the real thing, just like the rest of the album — the kind of music we rarely hear, sonically deep with an even deeper emotional core, heartbreaking and gorgeous despite all the clang and clamor. [From Dear, out now via <a href="https://www.sargenthouse.com/">Sargent House</a>.] –Aaron Lariviere<br></p><p>Full article via <a href="http://www.stereogum.com/1954904/the-black-market-the-month-in-metal-july-2017/franchises/the-black-market/">Stereogum</a></p>US / THEM Grouptag:usthemgroup.com,2005:Post/47980052017-07-31T10:00:17-07:002017-07-31T14:34:34-07:00Iggy Pop on ‘Dear’<figure data-orig-width="2000" data-orig-height="1000" class="tmblr-full"><img src="https://68.media.tumblr.com/bb23d85fb2a4502cbd0a03bb08779c8c/tumblr_inline_otnqmv1CFy1qg2879_540.png" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" /></figure><p>Dear<a href="https://sargenthouse.com/boris"> Boris</a>,<br><br>I love your music.<br>Happy “<a href="http://smarturl.it/BorisDear_retail">Dear</a>” anniversary.<br><br>Iggy Pop<br></p>US / THEM Grouptag:usthemgroup.com,2005:Post/47957832017-07-28T10:00:29-07:002017-07-28T13:17:34-07:00Aaron Turner On ‘Dear’<figure class="tmblr-full" data-orig-height="1000" data-orig-width="2000" style=""><img src="https://68.media.tumblr.com/fbd69fce1e40027cfb479fdbf93aa866/tumblr_inline_otnqgoWr3m1qg2879_540.png" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" /></figure><p><br>The display of creativity dexterity over <a href="https://sargenthouse.com/boris">Boris</a>’ 25 year career is inspiring and practically unrivaled. Not just in the realm of “heavy music” in which they are often situated, but the wider world of musical sound. Lying somewhere in the ambiguous area between art project and rock band, they have tried they able hands at many things and succeeded almost unfailingly. In the rare instances when their experiments haven’t resulted in communicating something utterly essential, they have served at the very least to light the way for yet further reaches into the musical unknown. From monolithic and monochromatic downtuned destruction, to fragile ambient delicacy, to full blown J-pop, Boris have proved themselves fearless, limitless and essential. As is obvious from their fanbase, the appeal of their music is global, yet they also embody musical principles which bely their geographic origin. This is music that could have come from no place and from no other hands. Though it’s clear there is much yet Boris still has to say, their place in the annals of out music is already firmly cemented in the minds of anyone familiar with any/all of Boris’ aural iterations. Here’s to many more decades of Boris…..<br></p>US / THEM Grouptag:usthemgroup.com,2005:Post/47949592017-07-27T12:53:37-07:002017-07-27T19:09:55-07:00Boris Adds Los Angeles Show to 25th Anniversary Tour<figure data-orig-width="960" data-orig-height="1439" class="tmblr-full"><img src="https://68.media.tumblr.com/f03507065353b89b18712d5813d66edd/tumblr_inline_otrltnUWWZ1qg2879_540.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="image" /></figure><p>Boris have added Nov 18 at the <a href="http://www.spacelandpresents.com/events/the-echo/">Echoplex</a> in Los Angeles to their 25th Anniversary tour. Dates Below: <br></p><p>AUG 03 - Moscow, Volta - RU<br>AUG 04 - St. Petersburg, ClubZal - RU<br>AUG 05 - Vienna, Szene - AT<br>AUG 06 - Katowice, OFF Festival - PL<br>AUG 07- Leipzig, Naumans - DE<br>AUG 08 - Berlin, Lido - DE<br>AUG 09 - Jaromer, Brutal Assault - CZ<br>AUG 10 - Munich, Backstage - DE<br>AUG 11 - Frankfurt, Das Bett - DE<br>AUG 12- Lausanne, Rock Altitude - CH<br>AUG 13 - Ieper, Ieperfest - BE<br>AUG 15 - Cologne, Underground - DE<br>AUG 16 - Hamburg, Hafenklang - DE<br>AUG 17 - Bielefeld, Forum - DE<br>AUG 18 - Amstelveen, P60 - NL<br>AUG 19 - Bristol, Arctangent Festival - UK<br>AUG 20 - Dublin, Whelans - IE<br>AUG 21 - Cork, Cyprus Avenue - IE<br>AUG 23 - Belfast, Limelight - NIE<br>AUG 25 - Helsinki, Nosturi - FI</p><p>OCT 03 - Fresno, CA @ Strummers * <br>OCT 04 - Sacramento, CA @ Harlow’s * <br>OCT 06 - Eugene, OR @ WOW Hall ^ <br>OCT 07 - Seattle, WA @ Neumo’s ^ <br> OCT 08 - Vancouver, BC @ Rickshaw Theatre ^ <br>OCT 09 - Portland, OR @ Doug Fir Lounge ^ <br>OCT 11 - San Francisco, CA @ The Independent ^ <br>OCT 12-14 - Joshua Tree, CA @ Desert Daze Fest <br>OCT 14 - Tucson, AZ @ 191 Toole % <br> OCT 16 - Salt Lake City, UT @ Metro Music Hall % <br>OCT 17 - Denver, CO @ Bluebird Theater % <br> OCT 19 - Lawrence, KS @ Granada Theatre % <br> OCT 20 - Omaha, NE @ The Waiting Room % <br>OCT 21 - Minneapolis, MN @ Triple Rock Social Club + <br>OCT 22 - Milwaukee, WI @ Turner Hall + <br>OCT 23 - Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall + <br>OCT 25 - Detroit, MI @ El Club + <br>OCT 26 - Cleveland, OH @ Grog Shop + <br>OCT 27 - Millvale, PA @ Mr Smalls + <br>OCT 28 - Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer + <br>OCT 29 - Baltimore, MD @ Rams Head Live! (Days of Darkness) <br>OCT 31 - Allston, MA @ Brighton Music Hall ~ <br>NOV 01 - Brooklyn, NY @ Warsaw ~ <br>NOV 04 - Durham, NC @ Motorco ~ <br> NOV 05 - Knoxville, TN @ The Concourse ~ <br>NOV 07 - Atlanta, GA @ The Masquerade, Hell Stage ~ <br>NOV 08 - Nashville, TN @ Exit / In ~ <br> NOV 09 - Birmingham, AL @ Saturn $ <br>NOV 10 - New Orleans, LA @ One Eyed Jacks $ <br> NOV 10-12 - McDade, TX @ Sound on Sound Fest <br>NOV 14 - Albuquerque, NM @ Sister + <br>NOV 15 - Phoenix, AZ @ Crescent Ballroom # <br> NOV 17 - San Diego, CA @ Casbah # <br>NOV 18 - Los Angeles, CA @ Echoplex w/ Torche</p><p>* = w/ Endon <br>^ = w/ Sumac, Endon <br>% = w/ Subrosa, Endon <br>+ = w/ Helms Alee, Endon <br> ~ = w/ Mutoid Man, Endon <br>$ = w/ Thou, Endon <br> # = w/ Torche, Endon<br></p>US / THEM Grouptag:usthemgroup.com,2005:Post/47917672017-07-25T10:28:39-07:002017-07-25T12:17:44-07:00Jim Jarmusch on ‘Dear’<figure class="tmblr-full" data-orig-height="1000" data-orig-width="2000" style=""><img src="https://68.media.tumblr.com/783aeee89bb500994fa92dc484368b16/tumblr_inline_otnps1GXXS1qg2879_540.png" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" /></figure><p><a href="https://sargenthouse.com/boris">Boris</a> is one of the greatest rock bands on this planet. <a href="http://smarturl.it/BorisDear_retail">Their new recording, Dear</a>, is one of their heaviest, most molten, most adventurous, and most beautifully lyrical ever. Long live Boris!?<br></p>US / THEM Grouptag:usthemgroup.com,2005:Post/47882902017-07-21T11:58:09-07:002017-07-21T17:17:01-07:00Stephen O’Malley on ‘DEAR’<figure class="tmblr-full" data-orig-height="1000" data-orig-width="2000"><img src="https://68.media.tumblr.com/616a5e24deb6b2da3edcc446a35a0add/tumblr_inline_otgfawFSmU1qg2879_540.png" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" /></figure><p>When we accosted Atsuo & Wata after their concert in mid 90s at Neumo’s in Seattle (Greg and I had come to see Joe Preston’s solo project THRONES and had our very stoned minds absolutely shattered by the support act, <a href="https://sargenthouse.com/boris">BORIS</a>, who we had no idea existed in this dimension) Atsuo’s instantly generous and friendly attitude belied the savage sound they had just processed though and commenced. We asked if they liked SLEEP. Atsuo pointed to Wata and said “She likes SLEEP”. We were bonded by blood at that moment. A lot of water, blood, tears and sweat under the bridge hence, many moments together on and off stage and a strong friendship that is already 20 years in… that’s amazing! I was so pleased to check out <a href="http://smarturl.it/BorisDear_retail">DEAR</a>… it brought me back to those memories of tape trading with Atsuo in the late 90s (Burning Witch demo for Boris/Barebones split 10”). The record is raw and savage, but it’s absolutely not a return-to-the-roots affair, the construction and fluency of their music has gone in so many articulations since those days, it could never go back. It’s a beautiful piece of substrata, hewn from the geology of the earth and time, hewn with faith, color & passion. Heavy does it.?<br></p>US / THEM Grouptag:usthemgroup.com,2005:Post/47840302017-07-18T16:17:19-07:002017-07-18T16:47:17-07:00Boris - "Dear" // Press Quotes<p style="text-align: center;"><span class="font_xl">B O R I S // D E A R </span></p>
<p><img src="https://d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/159790/7c4d65b56ba2c137762e130a84b646f510e8a107/large/screen-shot-2017-07-06-at-10-14-09-am.png?1499361310" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">Downloadable docx <a contents="here" data-link-label="boris-dear-quotes.docx" data-link-type="file" href="https://sargenthouse.com/files/297454/boris-dear-quotes.docx" target="_blank">here</a>.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/159790/d7723f72bbf134200b938501d68864786fe4b453/small/screen-shot-2017-07-18-at-11-33-05-am.png?1500416855" class="size_s justify_left border_" /></p>
<p>"Dear, a note of appreciation to fans, pulls together 10 tracks from that stockpile that represent each era of the band even as it points towards the future." <strong>- Consequence of Sound</strong></p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong><img src="https://d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/159790/b1b01360c001e4c16ff0ec3a23854224748407e0/small/pitchfork.png?1500416975" class="size_s justify_left border_" /></strong>“On Dear, the Japanese trio hones in on their most essential quality—the ability to wrest subtlety from thick layers of distortion and volume." <strong>- Pitchfork</strong> (7.3/10)</p>
<p> </p>
<p><img src="https://d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/159790/949f208adca687f537e56b8f0102f86097941067/small/screen-shot-2017-07-06-at-10-13-51-am.png?1499361315" class="size_s justify_left border_" />"Boris has always been thoughtfully outrageous, balancing its sense of drama with sharp purpose. While Dear is one of Boris' heaviest records in recent memory, you can hear 25 years' worth of experience in its exquisite sludge. To reiterate, may Boris reign for another 25 years." -<strong> NPR Music</strong></p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong><img src="https://d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/159790/b36b5fc2f10b736464f208e95343f2f1894bcd66/small/exclaim.png?1500417152" class="size_s justify_left border_" /></strong>“..an album filled with surprises from a band that continue to impress” <strong>- Exclaim! [CA] </strong>(8/10)</p>
<p> </p>
<p><img src="https://d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/159790/b56fb41daac11d32d89e429e96fff340595bb272/small/av-club.png?1500417461" class="size_s justify_left border_" /></p>
<p>“A string arrangement and whispered vocals lift the song back towards the heavens towards the clouds, but it’s clear that Boris will always put the “heavy” in “heavenly”." <strong>- A.V. Club</strong> (Memento Mori)</p>
<p> </p>
<p><img src="https://d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/159790/cfdaa3525fd1b835c50f3daa8cf05eb491d33a95/small/spin.jpg?1500417541" class="size_s justify_left border_" /></p>
<p>“Boris, Japanese experimental sludge-metal extraordinaires, celebrate 25 years together this year. They’ve also just announced their 23rd (!) studio album Dear, and shared a first peek, the thunderous “Absolutego,” which appropriately shares its title with their 1996 debut album Absolutego." <strong>- SPIN</strong> (Absolutego)</p>
<p> </p>
<p><img src="https://d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/159790/28a24d7199580374dcd9138f383230819fa7a157/small/sputnik-music.png?1500417639" class="size_s justify_left border_" /></p>
<p>"There’s not much more one could ask for out of a Boris record - it’s very focused tonally, it’s inspired, and it heavy as f*ck.” <strong>- Sputnik Music</strong> (4.3/5)</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><img src="https://d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/159790/14abbbfeb84414d5e368aef44c710a1c85ebcf09/small/mxdwn.png?1500417776" class="size_s justify_left border_" />“..one of Boris’s most experimental works yet” <strong>- MXDWN</strong></p>
<p> </p>
<p><img src="https://d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/159790/90fbe7793171de17823da358aabfc9504e958cf5/small/screen-shot-2017-06-02-at-3-10-50-pm.png?1496441471" class="size_s justify_left border_" />"'Dear' is a shoegazey, cosmic, earth-shattering sludge-metal weapon possessed by the spirit of doom that can hold its own against some of Boris’ heaviest tracks to date.” <strong>- Treble Zine</strong></p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong><img src="https://d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/159790/b7c195092c6fe40f2884124bf2d693324137a4cd/small/team-rock.png?1500418103" class="size_s justify_left border_" /></strong>"Sonically, Dear is as organic and lively sounding as any Boris album, the analogue recording proving as much a part of their presentation as their appetite for unexpected collaborations." <strong>- TeamRock</strong> (4/5)</p>
<p><img src="https://d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/159790/6c349d415ed01476b38dc5d5068237f198a6866a/small/allmusic.png?1500418248" class="size_s justify_left border_" /></p>
<p>“On 'Dear,' Boris again prove their mettle as rock leviathans.” <strong>- AllMusic </strong>(4/5)</p>
<p> </p>
<p><img src="https://d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/159790/8da3da3d39b1a5ba5e9637f244206c3f466bf86f/small/indy-metal-vault.png?1500418307" class="size_s justify_left border_" />"The forthcoming ‘Dear' not only continues their recent resurgence, it’s also the first truly great Boris album of the last decade.” <strong>- Indy Metal Vault </strong>(A)</p>
<p><img src="https://d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/159790/8373a7f56ee7f73a29984807cfced5f4cdba19e5/small/heavy-music-hq.png?1500418470" class="size_s justify_left border_" />"The trio washes its twenty-five years of shape-shifting and hallucinogenic leaps between style and genre over Dear’s hour-long majesty and madness.” <strong>- Heavy Music HQ</strong> (4/5)</p>
<p> </p>
<p><img src="https://d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/159790/40581cc586b41d839edecb02313e400fa9adce7d/small/get-some-mag.png?1500418600" class="size_s justify_left border_" /></p>
<p>"If you’re a fan of guitar rock or experimental, challenging, borderline trance inducing music, you’ll enjoy 'Dear'; and probably consider writing Boris a nice thank you for sticking around letter to boot.” <strong>- Get Some Magazine</strong> (4/5)</p>
<p> </p>
<p><img src="https://d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/159790/cff8a4a8cdce2010dd720e180e26b96cde5cf1e5/small/gigsoup-black-large-1.png?1500418676" class="size_s justify_left border_" />"...another fresh, powerful work from Boris. Twenty five years on from their inception, they’re as vital and wildly idiosyncratic now as they’ve ever been and remain an uncompromising and ambiguous entity; take the time to unravel the mystery that Boris put forth with ‘Dear’ and you’ll be richly rewarded.” <strong>- GigSoup</strong></p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong><img src="https://d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/159790/15a61d39f2c6a38df9d3e567fe838f91bd657e3a/small/metal-sucks.png?1500418731" class="size_s justify_left border_" /></strong>"The band has changed and evolved in ways most only dream of doing and their expansive catalog has always pushed the boundaries of what people would consider possible in metal, which is hard to do in a genre that’s already so extreme." <strong>- Metal Sucks</strong> (Absolutego)</p>
<p> </p>
<p><img src="https://d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/159790/1c140615400c62533ff0760cec7bc6a768390074/small/crossfader-mag.png?1500418947" class="size_s justify_left border_" /></p>
<p> </p>
<p>"..the best Boris has been in nearly a decade” <strong>- Crossfader Magazine</strong></p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><img src="https://d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/159790/6f934f736305e7e0f7391b71e68739bfde93276a/small/get-news-jp.png?1500419022" class="size_s justify_left border_" /></p>
<p>“"Absolutego" released as the latest music video is a rock anthem that evokes an intuitive reaction.” <strong>- Get News [JP]</strong> (Absolutego)</p>
<p> </p>
<p><img src="https://d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/159790/4a4c41da1bdf805c76107958167327af6ba83664/small/bandcamp.png?1500419183" class="size_s justify_left border_" />"...'Dear' is an all-encompassing summary of Boris’ career in which they revisit directions taken in the past while uncovering new sounds in the process.”<strong> - Bandcamp</strong></p>
<p> </p>
<p><img src="https://d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/159790/758755cdb091c933502538a367307e38792fdb17/small/brooklyn-vegan.png?1500419261" class="size_s justify_left border_" /></p>
<p>"...'Dear' registers as some of their most immediately-satisfying work.“ <strong>- Brooklyn Vegan</strong></p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong><img src="https://d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/159790/8ff06b55a5a2c89ccb83ac12d23f671c724611e1/small/soundblab.png?1500419326" class="size_s justify_left border_" /></strong></p>
<p>“Boris has proved to be one of heavy music’s most consistently exciting and prolific acts." <strong>- Sound Blab</strong></p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong><img src="https://d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/159790/137c5a6f4ef0e27f90058d98ae570616cbf11350/small/angry-metal-guy.png?1500419448" class="size_s justify_left border_" /></strong>"This collection exemplifies the band at their very best, working with several genres and experimental styles while also being a welcome return to unabashed doom metal." <strong>- Angry Metal Guy</strong> (4/5)</p>
<p><img src="https://d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/159790/600ad247faa1bfa4a1d3742ef2613918889da88d/small/surviving-the-golden-age.png?1500419506" class="size_s justify_left border_" /></p>
<p> </p>
<p>"...'Dear' is in some ways a celebration to 25 years of heavy-instrumentals, as well as a departure into the next stage of Boris’ evolution.” <strong>-</strong> <strong>Surviving the Golden Age</strong></p>US / THEM Grouptag:usthemgroup.com,2005:Post/47798622017-07-14T10:06:10-07:002017-07-14T15:17:24-07:00‘Dear’ Is Out And Available Now<figure data-orig-width="1200" data-orig-height="1200" class="tmblr-full"><img src="https://68.media.tumblr.com/2b13e9e3a7e7a2f908ce443fe5fddbc0/tumblr_inline_ot3b3aRfgm1qbzv4w_540.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="image" /></figure><p>Boris ‘Dear’ is available <a href="http://smarturl.it/BorisDear_retail">HERE.</a><br></p>US / THEM Grouptag:usthemgroup.com,2005:Post/47798632017-07-14T09:21:18-07:002017-07-14T15:17:24-07:00Boris // Bandcamp Daily<img src="https://d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/159790/fcd3176cba5fe0bd3e41e3face5032c5fff939b4/original/screen-shot-2017-07-14-at-10-58-41-am.png?1500055443" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="image" /><img src="https://d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/159790/cd4768bcf0a9a645961980174f1ea9f649d5b7a1/original/screen-shot-2017-07-14-at-11-02-03-am.png?1500055456" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="image" /><p>When they began back in 1992, Japanese metal band <a href="http://sargenthouse.com/boris">Boris</a> never expected that they’d still be around 25 years later. Few bands last that long, and even fewer manage to do so while maintaining the same lineup. Yet since their inception, the Tokyo heavy rock/metal trio have constructed an intricate web of studio albums, plus collaborative releases with the likes of Sunn O))) and Merzbow, that have made their catalogue not just bountiful, but complex—even mysterious. As they headed toward the release of this year’s Dear, they were confronted with the complicated responsibilities of personal lives outside the band; they began to question whether Boris had a future beyond the quarter-century mark. </p><iframe src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=2096633116/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/artwork=small/transparent=true/">&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a data-cke-saved-href=&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;quot;http://boris.bandcamp.com/album/dear&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;quot; href=&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;quot;http://boris.bandcamp.com/album/dear&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;quot;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Dear by Boris&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;</iframe><!-- more --><p>With all of that in mind, Boris developed a plan to record one potential final statement. That album, Dear, was conceived as a dramatic bow after years spent challenging heavy music’s conventions through numerous stylistic changes and thousands of thunderously loud, gong-bashing live shows in several continents. </p><p>Though the journey has been long, Boris never abandoned their initial approach. When they began performing in the ‘90s, they crafted devastating, low-end distortion drones that sounded heavier than anything in metal at the time, gradually carving melodies and hooks out of those walls of noise. More than two decades later, Dear is an all-encompassing summary of Boris’ career in which they revisit directions taken in the past while uncovering new sounds in the process. It’s an album that guitarist/bassist and vocalist Takeshi says they wanted to be a fitting representation of their legacy. </p><p>“Being in a band for 25 years, there are sometimes many problems with members’ homes or families, and many situations arise that make continuing as an active band difficult,” he says. “I think it was around late 2014, there was a situation where we thought the band wouldn’t have a future. We had an extremely simple thought: we wanted to create music that we could leave behind.” </p><p>Dear captures small pieces of every musical style that Boris have explored throughout their career. It brings together various aspects of their musical makeup in a single, cohesive package; it’s like a “greatest hits” compilation entirely composed of new tracks. There’s epic drone-doom (“D.O.W.N.”), atmospheric post-rock (“Biotope”), spacious shoegaze (“Kagero”), and sludgy stoner rock (“Absolutego”). In fact, the song “Absolutego” takes its name from the group’s debut album, which was released back in 1996, bringing their history full circle. </p><p>Contemplating their legacy is a relatively new thing for Boris. They’ve never been the type of band to repeat themselves or to look back, though last year’s world tour for the 10th anniversary of their 2006 breakthrough Pink allowed Takeshi, guitarist Wata, and drummer Atsuo the opportunity to revisit some of their most beloved material. The trip to the past helped them to see further into their own future, and the tour fueled a fertile period of creativity thereafter. </p><p>“We didn’t look back at our path before, so around Pink’s 10th anniversary, we felt the need to make the music compatible for both new and old listeners,” he says. “During the same time, as we toured, our desire for new sound also heightened. We wrote additional songs between tours. We acquired lots of power from the audience during the tour, which I think helped Dear end up being a very positive album.” </p><p>In a way, Dear is cut from the same cloth as Pink. Both are albums consumed by crushingly heavy guitars and enveloping clouds of distortion. These elements have been used in entirely different ways throughout the band’s career; in their most experimental moments, such as 2011’s J-pop-influenced New Album and the dark, shoegazing Attention Please, they almost abandon that cranked-to-eleven intensity entirely. Still, Takeshi doesn’t necessarily see these more unconventional stylistic choices as out of step with their discography. </p><p>“There are many types of ‘heavy,’” he says. “Both of those albums are considered ‘heavy’ to us. I also hope we get across the diversity of ‘heavy.’” </p><iframe src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=2096633116/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/artwork=small/transparent=true/">&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a data-cke-saved-href=&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;quot;http://boris.bandcamp.com/album/dear&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;quot; href=&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;quot;http://boris.bandcamp.com/album/dear&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;quot;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Dear by Boris&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;</iframe><p>That’s because heavy, for Boris, is more a state of being than a musical approach. Their songwriting is open-ended; at no point has anyone in the band ever dictated what the music should be. The end result is often different than what came before it, but that’s only because the band allows the music to speak to them, rather than vice versa. </p><p>“We attempt to approach each album from a direction that could lead us to the sound we want; we develop its methodology. There are parts where we get closer to a certain music style, but it’s not that we’re consciously aiming at that style from the beginning. It’s more of a result,” Takeshi says. “It’s a comfortable landing point. It kind of feels like climbing a spiral staircase.” </p><p>From the beginning, Boris wasn’t a band with any one stated objective. “I just wanted to get together, make noise, and have fun,” says Takeshi. Twenty-five years later, that’s exactly what the band is doing, just on a much more ambitious scale. It’s the people involved who allow that feeling to continue. When Takeshi, Wata, and Atsuo get together in a room and play their instruments, something special happens. </p><p>“It’s truly fun being on a quest for new sounds that only the three of us can make. There’s no ending yet,” Takeshi says. “You can’t copy and paste this band or swap members. In order to create the sound of Boris, it definitely has to be these three members.” </p><p>—Jeff Terich</p><p>Via <a href="https://daily.bandcamp.com/2017/07/14/boris-metal-band-dear-interview/">Bandcamp Daily</a></p><p>Boris ‘Dear’ available <a href="http://smarturl.it/BorisDear_retail">HERE. </a></p>US / THEM Grouptag:usthemgroup.com,2005:Post/47774842017-07-12T15:51:58-07:002017-07-13T02:47:36-07:00Boris in New Noise Magazine Issue 33<figure class="tmblr-full" data-orig-height="2250" data-orig-width="3000"><img src="https://68.media.tumblr.com/8f435487cb05fe143685c5bd26e72e3b/tumblr_inline_ot0261Ttj11qg2879_540.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" /></figure><p>Boris is featured in New Noise Magazine Issue 33. </p>US / THEM Grouptag:usthemgroup.com,2005:Post/47697642017-07-06T10:26:48-07:002017-07-06T16:47:04-07:00Boris 'Dear' Full Album Stream // NPR Music<img src="https://d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/159790/949f208adca687f537e56b8f0102f86097941067/original/screen-shot-2017-07-06-at-10-13-51-am.png?1499361315" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" /><img src="https://d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/159790/e7f1398ff31c1cd78a54180b093bf9cde3af5534/original/screen-shot-2017-07-06-at-10-14-01-am.png?1499361294" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" /><img src="https://d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/159790/7c4d65b56ba2c137762e130a84b646f510e8a107/original/screen-shot-2017-07-06-at-10-14-09-am.png?1499361310" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" /><p><a href="http://sargenthouse.com/boris">Boris</a> looked happy. The Japanese trio was tearing through “Just Abandoned Myself,” a two-chord stick of dynamite blown to euphoric heights at the 9:30 Club in Washington, D.C. They were celebrating a decade of the breakthrough album Pink with a sold-out crowd, playing it front to back. Just before hitting the U.S. last summer, Boris was ready to close out a 25-year career that shredded its way through metal, drone, pop, noise, punk and shoegaze, splattering its own neon rapture in darkness. The band wasn’t sure it had anything left to say. But the month-long tour experience with fans and with their own past rejuvenated Takeshi, Wata and Atsuo. The result is Dear, Boris’ most thrilling record since 2011’s three-fer: Attention Please, Heavy Rocks and New Album. </p><!-- more --><p>Dear is 10 tracks culled from three albums worth of material, because when inspiration hits, Boris becomes a perpetual riff machine. Takeshi and Wata have always been sympatico on strings, the former doubling up on bass and the latter a sonic welder who deserves more recognition as a modern guitar innovator. On Dear, they conjure the molten sludge of Boris past on the crawling doom of “DEADSONG,” the bucking space rodeo “Absolutego” and “The Power,” an instrumental, slow-motion twin-lead chugger not heard since the likes of Akuma No Uta. </p><p>But for all of Dear’s welcome feedback-ridden (dis)grace, Boris can’t help but play with the fabric of its sound. The only track to feature Wata’s gentle and mysterious voice is “Beyond,” a patient piece of slowcore washed in Atsuo’s cymbals and the sparest guitar that, halfway through, explodes into a doomgaze ballad. “Biotope” is almost an electro-pop song by default, strewn with digital detritus and Takeshi’s soft coo, but buried under My Bloody Valentine-style guitar noise. “Memento Mori,” one of the few new songs played on the Pink tour, is, to use Boris’ own words, “heavenly — far beyond heavenly.” This is the most inspired and forward-looking of Dear, a track that evolves without announcing its steps, like David Bowie in some magical heavy-prog phase we never had the joy of knowing. </p><p>Boris has always been thoughtfully outrageous, balancing its sense of drama with sharp purpose. While Dear is one of Boris’ heaviest records in recent memory, you can hear 25 years’ worth of experience in its exquisite sludge. To reiterate, may Boris reign for another 25 years.</p><p>Pre-order Boris ‘Dear’ <a href="https://www.hellomerch.com/search?type=product&q=boris+dear">HERE.</a></p><p>Full album stream via <a href="http://www.npr.org/2017/07/06/534316417/first-listen-boris-dear?utm_source=twitter.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=nprmusic&utm_term=music&utm_content=20170505">NPR</a>.</p>US / THEM Grouptag:usthemgroup.com,2005:Post/47608932017-06-28T12:47:04-07:002022-05-11T06:56:59-07:00Boris "Memento Mori" Premiere // Pitchfork<p><img src="https://d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/159790/e235e725926d681d010c724316cab346524208b1/medium/screen-shot-2017-06-28-at-12-25-54-pm.png?1498679077" class="size_m justify_center border_" /><img src="https://d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/159790/f2d32ac16c3afd1948c4b83bd5c5ce0ad5553973/original/dear.jpg?1498679083" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>Unafraid to splatter vibrant hues amidst the bleakness of their song, Borishave proven to be some of metal’s greatest bon vivants. Through their two-and-a-half decades of existence, they’ve bathed monochromatic guitar drones in shocking pinks, bringing life and light to a gloomy sound. That’s the explicit goal of their new single “Memento Mori,” and their new album Dear, which they’ve called, “heavenly—far beyond heavy.” </p><iframe style="border: 0; width: 100%; height: 120px;" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=2096633116/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/artwork=small/track=2253861612/transparent=true/" seamless><a href="http://boris.bandcamp.com/album/dear">Dear by Boris</a></iframe>
<p>The title of the song—a Latin phrase in remembrance of the dead——has historically been a grim reminder of the transience of existence. Even though the tombstone-dense bass bursts in the opening seconds suggests otherwise, this a relatively light outing, even by Boris’ standards. The song is built around foggy harmonies, which ride above smoldering guitar lines. The instrumentation only gets brighter and more complex as the song goes on, which makes the somber sentiment of the title start to feel uplifting. Through the onslaughts of noise they find comfort.</p>
<p>Via <a contents="Pitchfork" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://pitchfork.com/reviews/tracks/boris-memento-mori/">Pitchfork</a></p>US / THEM Grouptag:usthemgroup.com,2005:Post/47579892017-06-26T11:14:00-07:002017-06-26T14:16:49-07:00Boris Shares “Memento Mori” // Consequence Of Sound<img src="https://d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/159790/3c6cca13710e2e510dda844475328f1d32e124e8/original/screen-shot-2017-06-26-at-10-49-38-am.png?1498500087" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" /><img src="https://d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/159790/8ed189a538d0f863317ac7c2cd2849d6ed8ec327/original/screen-shot-2017-06-26-at-10-49-45-am.png?1498500097" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" /><img src="https://d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/159790/759819d976a01b9fe3221e0bc05cac88acf03845/original/screen-shot-2017-06-26-at-10-50-01-am.png?1498500107" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" /><p>As Japanese heavy metal heroes <a href="http://sargenthouse.com/boris">Boris</a> crept towards the 25th year of the existence, they began to wonder if there would be a 26th. After a stunning 21 studio albums and a massive career making booming, experimental musical, the trio felt they were running out of new terrain to explore. They decided it was time to write a farewell album, but when they sat down to hammer out the songs, something unanticipated happened. With the weight of expectation lifted by their conscious decision to craft a goodbye note, Boris found themselves revitalized anew. They wrote three albums worth of songs by the end of the sessions, which they cut down to 10 tracks as a thank you note to fan’ 25 years of dedication they called Dear. </p><p>Dear, out July 14th via Sargent House, is described by the band in a press release as “heavenly—far beyond heavy.” That’s certainly true of the album’s new single, “Memento Mori”. Slow, laden drumming from Atsuo Mizuno is the barren mountain range jutting up amid the landscape of guitar washes from Wata and Takeshi Ohtani. The track grinds forward like a dark dream that finds you walking towards an unknown horizon, unsure if the cresting music brings peace of doom. Even the echoing whisper of an outro seems to belie a hidden menace. Despite the slow progression, it certainly sounds like a reinvigorated Boris, full of powerful walls of noise as heavy as they are entrancing. </p><p>Take a listen below. </p><iframe src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/329682115&color=ff5500" width="100%" height="166" frameborder="no"></iframe><p></p><p>Pre-orders for physical copies of Dear are going on here, while digital downloads are available via iTunes. This fall, Boris will tour the US and Canada in support of the album, playing shows with Torche, Mutoid Man, Sumac, and more. Find their complete itinerary below. </p><p>Boris 2017 Tour Dates: <br>10/03 – Fresno, CA @ Strummers * <br>10/04 – Sacramento, CA @ Harlow’s * <br>10/06 – Eugene, OR @ WOW Hall ^ <br>10/07 – Seattle, WA @ Neumo’s ^ <br>10/08 – Vancouver, BC @ Rickshaw Theatre ^ <br>10/09 – Portland, OR @ Doug Fir Lounge ^ <br>10/11 – San Francisco, CA @ The Independent ^ <br>10/12-14 – Joshua Tree, CA @ Desert Daze Fest <br>10/14 – Tucson, AZ @ 191 Toole % <br>10/16 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Metro Music Hall % <br>10/17 – Denver, CO @ Bluebird Theater % <br>10/19 – Lawrence, KS @ Granada Theatre % <br>10/20 – Omaha, NE @ The Waiting Room % <br>10/21 – Minneapolis, MN @ Triple Rock Social Club + <br>10/22 – Milwaukee, WI @ Turner Hall + <br>10/23 – Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall + <br>10/25 – Detroit, MI @ El Club + <br>10/26 – Cleveland, OH @ Grog Shop + <br>10/27 – Millvale, PA @ Mr Smalls + <br>10/28 – Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer + <br>10/29 – Baltimore, MD @ Rams Head Live! (Days of Darkness) <br>10/31 – Allston, MA @ Brighton Music Hall ~ <br>11/01 – Brooklyn, NY @ Warsaw ~ <br>11/04 – Durham, NC @ Motorco ~ <br>11/05 – Knoxville, TN @ The Concourse ~ <br>11/07 – Atlanta, GA @ The Masquerade, Hell Stage ~ <br>11/08 – Nashville, TN @ Exit / In ~ <br>11/09 – Birmingham, AL @ Saturn $ <br>11/10 – New Orleans, LA @ One Eyed Jacks $ <br>11/10-12 – McDade, TX @ Sound on Sound Fest <br>11/14 – Albuquerque, NM @ Sister + <br>11/15 – Phoenix, AZ @ Crescent Ballroom # <br>11/17 – San Diego, CA @ Casbah # </p><p>* = w/ Endon <br>^ = w/ Sumac, Endon <br>% = w/ Subrosa, Endon <br>+ = w/ Helms Alee, Endon <br>~ = w/ Mutoid Man, Endon <br>$ = w/ Thou, Endon <br># = w/ Torche, Endon</p>US / THEM Grouptag:usthemgroup.com,2005:Post/47579902017-06-26T11:07:49-07:002017-06-26T14:16:49-07:00Boris Shares “Memento Mori” // Consequence Of Sound<p><img src="https://d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/159790/3c6cca13710e2e510dda844475328f1d32e124e8/original/screen-shot-2017-06-26-at-10-49-38-am.png?1498500087" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><img src="https://d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/159790/8ed189a538d0f863317ac7c2cd2849d6ed8ec327/original/screen-shot-2017-06-26-at-10-49-45-am.png?1498500097" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><img src="https://d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/159790/759819d976a01b9fe3221e0bc05cac88acf03845/original/screen-shot-2017-06-26-at-10-50-01-am.png?1498500107" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>As Japanese heavy metal heroes <a contents="Boris" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://sargenthouse.com/boris">Boris</a> crept towards the 25th year of the existence, they began to wonder if there would be a 26th. After a stunning 21 studio albums and a massive career making booming, experimental musical, the trio felt they were running out of new terrain to explore. They decided it was time to write a farewell album, but when they sat down to hammer out the songs, something unanticipated happened. With the weight of expectation lifted by their conscious decision to craft a goodbye note, Boris found themselves revitalized anew. They wrote three albums worth of songs by the end of the sessions, which they cut down to 10 tracks as a thank you note to fan’ 25 years of dedication they called Dear. </p>
<p>Dear, out July 14th via Sargent House, is described by the band in a press release as “heavenly—far beyond heavy.” That’s certainly true of the album’s new single, “Memento Mori”. Slow, laden drumming from Atsuo Mizuno is the barren mountain range jutting up amid the landscape of guitar washes from Wata and Takeshi Ohtani. The track grinds forward like a dark dream that finds you walking towards an unknown horizon, unsure if the cresting music brings peace of doom. Even the echoing whisper of an outro seems to belie a hidden menace. Despite the slow progression, it certainly sounds like a reinvigorated Boris, full of powerful walls of noise as heavy as they are entrancing. </p>
<p>Take a listen below. </p>
<p><iframe frameborder="no" height="166" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/329682115&color=ff5500" width="100%"></iframe></p>
<p>Pre-orders for physical copies of Dear are going on here, while digital downloads are available via iTunes. This fall, Boris will tour the US and Canada in support of the album, playing shows with Torche, Mutoid Man, Sumac, and more. Find their complete itinerary below. </p>
<p>Boris 2017 Tour Dates: <br>10/03 – Fresno, CA @ Strummers * <br>10/04 – Sacramento, CA @ Harlow’s * <br>10/06 – Eugene, OR @ WOW Hall ^ <br>10/07 – Seattle, WA @ Neumo’s ^ <br>10/08 – Vancouver, BC @ Rickshaw Theatre ^ <br>10/09 – Portland, OR @ Doug Fir Lounge ^ <br>10/11 – San Francisco, CA @ The Independent ^ <br>10/12-14 – Joshua Tree, CA @ Desert Daze Fest <br>10/14 – Tucson, AZ @ 191 Toole % <br>10/16 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Metro Music Hall % <br>10/17 – Denver, CO @ Bluebird Theater % <br>10/19 – Lawrence, KS @ Granada Theatre % <br>10/20 – Omaha, NE @ The Waiting Room % <br>10/21 – Minneapolis, MN @ Triple Rock Social Club + <br>10/22 – Milwaukee, WI @ Turner Hall + <br>10/23 – Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall + <br>10/25 – Detroit, MI @ El Club + <br>10/26 – Cleveland, OH @ Grog Shop + <br>10/27 – Millvale, PA @ Mr Smalls + <br>10/28 – Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer + <br>10/29 – Baltimore, MD @ Rams Head Live! (Days of Darkness) <br>10/31 – Allston, MA @ Brighton Music Hall ~ <br>11/01 – Brooklyn, NY @ Warsaw ~ <br>11/04 – Durham, NC @ Motorco ~ <br>11/05 – Knoxville, TN @ The Concourse ~ <br>11/07 – Atlanta, GA @ The Masquerade, Hell Stage ~ <br>11/08 – Nashville, TN @ Exit / In ~ <br>11/09 – Birmingham, AL @ Saturn $ <br>11/10 – New Orleans, LA @ One Eyed Jacks $ <br>11/10-12 – McDade, TX @ Sound on Sound Fest <br>11/14 – Albuquerque, NM @ Sister + <br>11/15 – Phoenix, AZ @ Crescent Ballroom # <br>11/17 – San Diego, CA @ Casbah # </p>
<p>* = w/ Endon <br>^ = w/ Sumac, Endon <br>% = w/ Subrosa, Endon <br>+ = w/ Helms Alee, Endon <br>~ = w/ Mutoid Man, Endon <br>$ = w/ Thou, Endon <br># = w/ Torche, Endon</p>US / THEM Grouptag:usthemgroup.com,2005:Post/47200512017-05-23T12:00:32-07:002017-05-23T20:06:10-07:00Boris Announce Dear/25th Anniversary Tour in Europe 2017<figure class="tmblr-full" data-orig-height="3508" data-orig-width="2480"><img src="https://68.media.tumblr.com/04f6b4ca48181d01f53431f26c940d86/tumblr_inline_oqf62tDo481qg2879_540.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" /></figure><p><a href="https://sargenthouse.com/boris">Boris</a> have announced European tour dates in support of their new album “Dear” and to celebrate their 25th Anniversary as a band. <br></p><p>03/08 - Moscow, Volta - RU<br>04/08 - St. Petersburg, ClubZal - RU<br>05/08 - Vienna, Szene - AT<br>06/08 - Katowice, OFF Festival - PL<br>07/08 - Leipzig, Naumans - DE<br>08/08 - Berlin, Lido - DE<br>09/08 - Jaromer, Brutal Assault - CZ<br>10/08 - Munich, Backstage - DE<br>11/08 - Frankfurt, Das Bett - DE<br>12/08 - Lausanne, Rock Altitude - CH<br>13/08 - Ieper, Ieperfest - BE<br>15/08 - Cologne, Underground - DE<br>16/08 - Hamburg, Hafenklang - DE<br>17/08 - Bielefeld, Forum - DE<br>18/08 - Amstelveen, P60 - NL<br>19/08 - Bristol, Arctangent Festival - UK<br>20/08 - Dublin, Whelans - IE<br>21/08 - Cork, Cyprus Avenue - IE<br>23/08 - Belfast, Limelight - NIE<br>25/08 - Helsinki, Nosturi - FI</p><p>Ticket links <a href="https://sargenthouse.com/boris">coming soon here </a></p>US / THEM Grouptag:usthemgroup.com,2005:Post/47022912017-05-09T11:36:47-07:002021-01-13T03:08:05-08:00Boris Announces New Album, 'Dear' // Premiering Track, 'Absolutego'<p> </p>
<figure data-orig-height="36" data-orig-width="113"><img src="https://68.media.tumblr.com/df9a54e7f1b73edd63c0b58bd2fbe649/tumblr_inline_opp6rf5vcD1qbzv4w_540.png" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="image" /></figure>
<figure class="tmblr-full" data-orig-height="449" data-orig-width="800"><img src="https://68.media.tumblr.com/f5f7c922841e417327c25a39ac29ad8d/tumblr_inline_opp6rubNHx1qbzv4w_540.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="image" /></figure>
<p><i>Lars Gotrich</i></p>
<p>This was going to be the last <a href="http://www.borisheavyrocks.com/">Boris</a> album. After nearly three decades, the Japanese trio wasn't sure they had anything left to express. Boris' impact on practically every heavy musical vein — metal, shoegaze, punk, noise and drone — has well-secured the band's legacy. But, after last year's tour performing the game-changing Pink in its entirety, Boris was re-energized. The result is Dear, 10 tracks culled from three albums worth of material.</p>
<p>"At the very first moment, this album began as some kind of potential farewell note of Boris," the band writes in a press release. "However, it became a sincere letter to fans and listeners... you know, like 'Dear so-and-so, this is the new album from Boris' or something like that. We feel so grateful we can release this album in our 25th anniversary year."</p>
<figure class="tmblr-embed tmblr-full" data-orig-height="304" data-orig-width="540" data-provider="youtube" data-url="https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3D9ZUhdqx9VtE"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="304" id="youtube_iframe" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/9ZUhdqx9VtE?feature=oembed&enablejsapi=1&origin=https://safe.txmblr.com&wmode=opaque" width="540"></iframe></figure>
<p> </p>
<p>"Absolutego" is the first single from this shrieking love letter of a record, featuring a caterwauling stoner-rock riff that cleaves the Earth in two. It's tempting to call this a return to the Melvins-worshipping sludge of Boris' early years, even sharing a song title with Boris' 1996 debut album. But the trio's evolution over time has given perspective to their heft, and "Absolutego" chugs out some of the band's nastiest work, as Wata — the longtime lead guitarist who can summon lava from another planet — squeals over the devastation with her Gibson.</p>
<p>May Boris reign for another 25 years.</p>
<p>Dear comes out July 14 on <a href="https://sargenthouse.com/">Sargent House</a>. Track list:</p>
<p>"D.O.W.N. -Domination Of Waiting Noise-"<br>"DEADSONG"<br>"Absolutego"<br>"Beyond"<br>"Kagero"<br>"Biotope"<br>"The Power"<br>"Memento Mori"<br>"Distopia Vanishing Point"<br>"Dear"</p>
<p><i>via <a href="http://www.npr.org/sections/allsongs/2017/05/09/527410313/boris-celebrates-25-years-by-cleaving-the-earth-in-two-with-absolutego">npr music</a></i></p>
<p> </p>US / THEM Grouptag:usthemgroup.com,2005:Post/46114332017-02-28T17:48:51-08:002017-03-01T01:06:54-08:00Boris announces Australia PINK tour<figure data-orig-width="760" data-orig-height="1017" class="tmblr-full"><img src="https://68.media.tumblr.com/008f8b6ea47825003a0e091621536bce/tumblr_inline_om44staAUI1qbzv4w_540.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="image" /></figure><p><a href="http://sargenthouse.com/boris">Boris</a> will be touring Australia, playing their seminal album <i>Pink</i> in its entirety. <a href="http://tangledthoughtsofleaving.com/">Tangled Thoughts Of Leaving</a> will be joining them as support on each show. Tickets available <a href="http://www.lifeisnoise.com/tickets">HERE</a>.</p>US / THEM Grouptag:usthemgroup.com,2005:Post/46061422017-02-24T11:42:14-08:002017-02-24T20:16:55-08:00Boris to play Maryland Deathfest’s Days of Darkness<figure data-orig-width="846" data-orig-height="1300" class="tmblr-full"><img src="https://68.media.tumblr.com/183b67d6152a2801c7a1b4c2c96d1d66/tumblr_inline_olw7j16ocd1qbzv4w_540.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="image" /></figure><p>Boris join a great lineup for Maryland Deathfest’s Days of Darkness, Oct 28-29. Boris will play October 29th. Tickets available <a href="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/days-of-darkness-festival-tickets-31832083619">HERE</a>.</p>US / THEM Grouptag:usthemgroup.com,2005:Post/45435722017-01-09T13:48:52-08:002017-01-09T18:05:33-08:00Boris Live Review // Getintothis<figure data-orig-width="250" data-orig-height="80"><img src="//68.media.tumblr.com/456d50a8cb454dfcb5e6ed6894c3cd20/tumblr_inline_ojj8hbiOxq1qg2879_540.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="image" /></figure><figure data-orig-width="1450" data-orig-height="1328" class="tmblr-full"><img src="//68.media.tumblr.com/b51b131f2b51ba1d92647b0353eade25/tumblr_inline_ojj8hwASDR1qg2879_540.png" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="image" /></figure><p><a href="http://sargenthouse.com/boris">Boris</a> hit Manchester hard and Getintothis’ Michael Edward was stunned.</p><p>There are many bands that music fans don’t expect they’ll ever get the chance to see. Sometimes it’s because their reuniting seems beyond all likelihood, like Fugazi or Black Flag. More often than not it’s because when their tours are announced they never seem to come near the U.K.</p><p>We were lucky enough to witness Boredoms perform with 6 drummers, 4 guitarists and 88 cymbal players at the Barbican Centre a while ago, which was a moment of otherworldly bliss that we never thought we’d be afforded.</p><!-- more --><p>We’ve essentially come to terms with the fact that we’ll probably never see Melt-Banana live. Until recently it seemed that Boris would reside on that melancholic wish list, consigned to Youtube videos and imaginations of sweaty rooms as their records play, but lo and behold, they’ve embarked on an extensive world tour for the 10th anniversary of their stunningly visceral 2006 record Pink, playing it in its entirety, with the order changed and other material spliced in.</p><p>For the uninitiated, Boris are a Japanese band who started out their career playing viciously heavy drone metal before Sunn O))) became the conventionally accepted historical successors to Earth. Named after the Melvins song of the same name, over their 20 plus year career they have since spanned a dizzying list of genres including Kyuss style stoner rock, glacial post rock, psychedelia, noise rock, shoegaze, hardcore punk, crust punk, J-Pop, ambient, harsh noise and dream pop.</p><p>Sometimes all of these elements will occur on the same album, but often they’ll dedicate themselves to a concept an album at a time, and at an absurdly prolific rate. Since 1996 they’ve released 24 solo LPs, 8 EPs, 2 live albums, 5 LPs and an EP in collaboration with Merzbow, an LP with Sunn O))),an LP with Ghost (not the one with the fake pope) guitarist Michio Kurihara, and an EP with The Cult‘s Ian Astbury. That’s 43 releases in 20 years. They’re also a walking paradox in terms of what you might expect to garner critical acclaim these days. Despite their experimental bent, they’re also relics of rock’s dinosaurs, enjoying the visceral stupidity of the riff, playing double neck guitars and even having the audacity to take a gong on tour with them. They’re somewhat emblematic of Japanese post-war culture on general, taking Western culture that’s gone before and twisting it into exaggerated and insane levels, breathing new life into it. But that’s enough of the Wikipedia entry, let’s talk gig.</p><p>The first thing to notice upon entering the venue is the band’s equipment.</p><p>Lead guitarist Wata’s rig is more than twice her size, a marvellously excessive L shaped stack of 3 huge Orange amps. Behind Atsuo’s drum kit sits a three foot wide gong. Takeshi wields a double neck, one a bass guitar and the other a downtuned 6 string. He also boasts three stacks of amps.</p><p>As they emerge on stage we insert our earplugs in anticipation. They open with the doom dirge of Blackout, which despite its heaviness, proves to be a welcome and necessary adjustment before the high octane onslaught to follow.</p><p>The proceeding run of Pink, Woman on Screen and Nothing Special launches the Manchester audience into a frenzy, and the space in front of the stage becomes established as the perpetual moshing area for those brave enough. The material benefits greatly from the fantastic sound in the Sound Control loft, removing the harshness of Pink’s original mix and replacing it with pure heft. The band perform with vitriol, seemingly relishing in the opportunity to revisit old material. Everything is played faithfully to the record, though the songs are such breakneck compositions that they retain their feel of spontaneity. Wata’s guitar solos are numerous and always, for want of a better word, facemelting. They start at the level other guitar solos would peak at, then somehow go higher, using her wah pedal in a unique way to create animalistic yelps.</p><p>Mid set they detour from the Pink material into an almost danceable stoner rock jam before stabbing that in the back with an excursion into a crushing noisy drone. Wata and Takeshi then produce a moment of brilliance as they tune their guitars down in tandem, amps still thundering, and the audience yelps with delight as the frequencies descend into the skeleton shattering realm. The man in the Sunn O))) shirt next to us smiles. Atuso pounds on the gong, looking to the audience between each strike in a display of classic rock showmanship.</p><p>As the last gong strike rings out, the band launch into Pink’s second half, with the audience churning like a storm-whipped sea at the disco-noise riff of Electric, singing the riff to Afterburner, and flailing dangerously to an incredible rendition of Pseudo-Bread, yet when the band barrel into the albums 18 minute thrash-doom-punk-drone-noise-opus closer Just Abandoned Myself the show becomes transcendent. The pace is absolutely unrelenting. We would defy anyone not to be given a near heart attack by its sheer exhilaration.</p><p>As it progresses and the drums step into half time, resting in an almost trip hop groove,Wata produces an ebow and conjures forth a layered and looped wall of overlapping and interlocking lines of feedback. The result is like Steve Reich composing for My Bloody Valentine and as the drums drop out leaving only that solid wall of sound we disappear to somewhere else entirely. After the drone subsides it feels if nothing could follow, yet the band play the instantly recognisable first notes of glacial Pink opener Farewell. The guy in the SunnO))) shirt now looks close to tears. As it works its way steadily to a lofty peak, the hairs on our arms stand up. It was an absolutely stunning ending.</p><p>After chants of ‘BORIS! BORIS!’ the band remerges to play once more. Atuso humbly thanks the crowd for welcoming them back for an encore, and after faking us out with a sample from their 70 minute post-rock masterpiece Flood, they launch into Ibitsu from Akuma No Uta, giving one last chance to bang heads and thrash around like you’re trying to destroy the stock of a china shop.</p><p>This was a perfectly paced show, preformed masterfully that at its best, reached for the Gods, yet managed to forgo any pretentiousness, operating on that base idiot level that makes rock music so compelling in the first place.</p><p>Boris are the perfect antidote to both self-serious experimental bands and too cool for school indie (yawn), proof that you can combine the ridiculousness that killed grunge with the rawness that it popularised, and that you can bend minds just as well with a gratuitous foot on the monitor guitar solo as a towering post-rock crescendo. More bands should buy gongs and double neck guitars.</p><p>Via <a href="http://www.getintothis.co.uk/2016/12/boris-sound-control-manchester/">Getintothis</a>.</p>US / THEM Grouptag:usthemgroup.com,2005:Post/43519012016-08-31T12:23:53-07:002017-01-12T06:15:55-08:00Boris announce EU/UK Pink Tour<figure data-orig-width="5760" data-orig-height="7717" class="tmblr-full"><img src="//66.media.tumblr.com/22eb6851402191134612ae1ca04b8591/tumblr_inline_ocsfewQPlF1qbzv4w_540.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="image" /></figure><p><a href="http://sargenthouse.com/boris">Boris</a> will be touring EU & UK beginning November 18th. They will be playing Pink in its entirety at every show and performing at Festival BBmix and</p><p>Tickets will be available <a href="http://sargenthouse.com/boris">HERE</a>. </p>US / THEM Grouptag:usthemgroup.com,2005:Post/43331992016-08-19T11:32:18-07:002017-01-12T06:15:54-08:00Boston live review // Invisible Oranges<figure class="tmblr-full" data-orig-height="103" data-orig-width="355"><img src="//67.media.tumblr.com/59778f84f53e14f4521612109f66f31b/tumblr_inline_oc65z2TpzK1qg2879_540.png" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" /></figure><figure class="tmblr-full" data-orig-height="420" data-orig-width="630"><img src="//67.media.tumblr.com/447bfbd83f73c13ae0619846b5ab9c0f/tumblr_inline_oc65zw1N3v1qg2879_540.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" /></figure><figure class="tmblr-full" data-orig-height="68" data-orig-width="645"><img src="//66.media.tumblr.com/233799c6dde2eb2eb2ee3ec63a2c4588/tumblr_inline_oc660aBn4Y1qg2879_540.png" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" /></figure><p>Over the past two decades, <b><a href="http://sargenthouse.com/boris">Boris</a></b> have established themselves as one of the most prolific and adventurous bands in heavy music. The Japanese trio’s expansive discography engages with just about every conceivable iteration and combination of drone, doom, sludge, post-rock and noise rock, with left turns into everything from shoegaze and dream pop to a string of collaborations with Merzbow, the closest thing to a mainstream noise musician that exists. While the band has racked up a number of classic releases tied to particular facets of their sound (Flood, their ambitious drone masterpiece and Heavy Rocks, their finest hour as a full-throttle stoner metal band), 2005’s <a href="https://boris.bandcamp.com/album/pink-deluxe-edition">Pink</a> stands out as Boris’ best summative work.</p><p>From the gorgeously plaintive opener “Farewell” to the title track’s earworm riffing and the wall of drone that concludes “Just Abandoned Myself,” Pink finds Boris at the peak of their many powers. The disc of unreleased outtakes accompanying this June’s reissue of the record demonstrates the kind of zone the band was in at the time, functioning more as a legitimate companion LP than a one-listen curiosity. In support of the new deluxe edition, and in celebration of the album’s tenth anniversary, the band has embarked on a tour performing Pink in its entirety. In typical Boris fashion, however, that concept isn’t as straightforward in execution as it might sound.</p><!-- more --><figure class="tmblr-full" data-orig-height="420" data-orig-width="630"><img src="//66.media.tumblr.com/254414cdc94f43ba7bb61a431721675a/tumblr_inline_oc664655Iu1qg2879_540.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" /></figure><p>For Boris’ headlining set, the band emerged enshrouded in fog and, naturally, pink light. But rather than the opening notes of “Farewell,” “Boris kicked off a reworked Pink with “Blackout”. In an appropriate move for a band whose releases often exist in multiple contrasting versions with different track lists (Pink itself has at least four, counting June’s reissue), the trio took liberties in reordering the record’s original song sequencing and seamlessly working in a number of those recently unearthed outtakes. The result was a well-paced set subverting the standard practice of the album anniversary show, but still hitting its requisite marks.</p><p>The one-two of “Pink” and “Woman on the Screen” that followed “Blackout”’s brooding opening sent a packed Paradise crowd into a frenzy, and that level of energy was clearly appreciated by the band. Wild-eyed drummer Atsuo is always one to engage and incite an audience, but guitarists Wata and Takeshi also came across less stoic than usual. As for the songs themselves, the group sounded immense, nailing the setlist staples, deep cuts and “new” songs with effortless confidence. True to their reputation, Boris played <i>loud</i>. The droning climax of “Just Abandoned Myself” reached Sunn O)))-esque levels of low-frequency immersion that threatened to consume us all before “Farewell” brought things full-circle in closing the main set. An encore of the night’s only non-Pink cuts rounded things out nicely, ending an evening that commemorated one of Boris’ defining works in enthusiastically deafening fashion.</p><figure class="tmblr-full" data-orig-height="420" data-orig-width="630"><img src="//65.media.tumblr.com/9982c83b7658d024ce6d1a8bade2454c/tumblr_inline_oc664lyo6D1qg2879_540.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" /></figure><p><a href="http://www.invisibleoranges.com/boris-live-at-boston-mas-paradise-rock-club/#photogallery-2=7"><i>See the full photoset at Invisible Oranges</i></a></p>US / THEM Grouptag:usthemgroup.com,2005:Post/42975032016-07-27T11:01:30-07:002022-05-19T03:42:30-07:00Live Review // Dallas Observer<figure data-orig-width="150" data-orig-height="50"><img src="//67.media.tumblr.com/99cd9355d4d5afe11c246bf05cef2746/tumblr_inline_oazitzfE9v1qbzv4w_540.png" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="image" /></figure><figure data-orig-width="756" data-orig-height="551" class="tmblr-full"><img src="//67.media.tumblr.com/2c2e1c0f26c8ac1b79eea51d9b3a6f6b/tumblr_inline_oazivcC8qu1qbzv4w_540.png" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="image" /></figure><figure data-orig-width="756" data-orig-height="118" class="tmblr-full"><img src="//67.media.tumblr.com/a6d34e9e360c0fbc1b6a47b242f30dbd/tumblr_inline_oaziwk7uCI1qbzv4w_540.png" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="image" /></figure><p>Mother <a href="http://thronesanddominions.com">Earth</a> and Father <a href="http://sargenthouse.com/boris">Boris</a> sharing the same stage: It’s hard to imagine a better soundtrack for the birth of a mountain, or even a planet. And while neither of these appeared within the walls of Trees last night, that might just be because they appeared in some far-flung place instead. Employees of NASA would do well to consider Boris’ current U.S. tour if they should find themselves in needing to explain any interstellar anomalies which might appear in the coming weeks.</p><p>Boris are a Japanese metal trio which defies categorization. Each album is a kind of microcosm, a musical biome with its own flora, fauna and weather patterns. The only common denominator is Heaviness. (You know when a band has a $300 fuzz pedal available for sale at the merch table that they’re serious about low frequencies.)</p><p>It makes sense, then, to tour with songs from only one album at a time, as Boris is doing this summer: They know their listeners want to experience one of these microcosms in its fully fleshed-out form. For this tour, the album in question is 2006’s <i><a href="https://boris.bandcamp.com/album/pink-deluxe-edition">Pink</a></i>, their breakthrough album. It’s possibly their heaviest, a contender for their noisiest and almost certainly their fastest. It starts noise rock (think Japanese Lightning Bolt) and ends doomgaze (think Jesu) with a few turns in between, the whole thing shot through with a darkly psychedelic sensibility.</p><!-- more --><figure data-orig-width="759" data-orig-height="548" class="tmblr-full"><img src="//66.media.tumblr.com/6c8cafd275844c5a15d23ba44653bdaa/tumblr_inline_oazj42sNHI1qbzv4w_540.png" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="image" /></figure><p>However uniquely suited to live album performances Boris may be, though, playing an album through is still a bold gesture, especially for one with a discography as large as Boris’ – it’s only the province of bands with a truly cultish devotion, like Swans or Weezer. But Boris is exactly such a band. (Remember that chunk of Josh Baish’s ear that was displayed on the wall at Rubber Gloves? It was bitten off at a Boris show.)</p><p>For a Monday night concert, much less one featuring a Japanese metal band, the audience’s devotion was palpable. There was a line of about 20 people at the merch table within a half hour of the doors opening. “Do you take debit?” asked one fan, seriously eyeing that fuzz pedal. Next were the ubiquitous Russian Circles and Sleep shirts. A few audience members mentioned that they came out despite a looming early morning shift. At least one person made the pilgrimage from Georgia.</p><p>But that does nothing to prepare you for the force of Boris, live and in the flesh. Once they hit the stage, they were impossibly loud, disorienting and ecstatic. It’s something like being in a sensory deprivation tank – though it’s probably more accurate to call it a sensory saturation tank. Suppose someone came along and placed a massive, cranked, overdriven, fuzzed-out Orange amplifier stack speaker-side-down over the mouth of a well you’re at the bottom of – that’s what it was like at the stage’s edge of Boris’ set last night. Blinded by the fog machine and cocooned in pure sound, the experience verged on out-of-body. </p><figure data-orig-width="754" data-orig-height="547" class="tmblr-full"><img src="//67.media.tumblr.com/329227f7c724b0ae67d5df653ae0dbb6/tumblr_inline_oazj8sOaJw1qbzv4w_540.png" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="image" /></figure><p>That’s not to say they took themselves too seriously, though. Atsuo, the drummer, was a bit of a ham, really milking his massive gong hits and occasionally standing to point dramatically at the audience. He wore eye makeup and a pop-star headset microphone, and frequently made silly faces. He was comic relief to guitarist Wata and double-neck-wielding guitarist/bassist Takeshi, who were largely stoic.</p><p>These antics were also part of the theatre of the ritual. For the show, above all, was a communion between Boris and their followers, elevated to the pitch of a fundamentalist frenzy.</p><p><a href="http://www.dallasobserver.com/music/boris-and-earth-were-a-two-headed-giant-of-heavy-metal-at-trees-8527808">(via Dallas Observer)</a></p>US / THEM Grouptag:usthemgroup.com,2005:Post/42947152016-07-25T12:01:59-07:002017-01-12T06:15:52-08:00Consequence of Sound reviews Boris “Pink (Deluxe Edition)”<figure data-orig-width="164" data-orig-height="109"><img src="//66.media.tumblr.com/598d05e96799c7a80c6a2ac495293b81/tumblr_inline_oavwl4gtHZ1qbzv4w_540.png" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="image" /></figure><figure data-orig-width="618" data-orig-height="613" class="tmblr-full"><img src="//67.media.tumblr.com/5b0e17619d2e9b9bfdf2977ab15b4283/tumblr_inline_oavwn2sLo81qbzv4w_540.png" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="image" /></figure><figure data-orig-width="1053" data-orig-height="196" class="tmblr-full"><img src="//66.media.tumblr.com/fc21bb5aeb7dc698054a734c87e03f34/tumblr_inline_oavwneZsc01qbzv4w_540.png" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="image" /></figure><p>In 2006, Americans were beginning to see technology become a necessity in a way we had yet to previously. YouTube was barely a thing (but growing quickly), Twitter was born (and seemed like a fad at best), and iPods not only still existed, but consumers had difficulty choosing what frosted color to order them in (who are you really if you purchased the yellow one?). Inventions come and go; 2006 wasn’t special in that regard. But a trend began to form: digital technology expanded the importance of personal branding, using 2D platforms and 3D items to speak on behalf of you in ways clothing and mixtapes couldn’t.</p><p>That same year, <a href="http://sargenthouse.com/boris">Boris</a> rolled out <a href="https://boris.bandcamp.com/album/pink-deluxe-edition">Pink</a>, an album that redefined their sound by embracing a similar mentality. You are not your stereotype. If anything, you’re as complicated as you pretend not to be. Boris certainly weren’t trying to mock an internet explosion. Pink is an hour-long record where a band who felt an urge to show their various personalities without separating those styles into multiple LPs.</p><p>Thank god, as 2006 needed insight on how to control, package, and deliver deconstructed stereotypes without idolizing someone simply for taking on the challenge. There was sludge metal, there was shoegaze, and there was hard rock. That landmark LP earned its accolades by combining genres both suddenly and seamlessly. To honor its 10th anniversary, the Japanese experimental metal act share an extended EP of cuts from those same recording sessions, and the nine tracks expand that original surge of personality and charisma. Pink shook with the force of a metal act bold enough to combine other elements in headstrong fashion, and a decade later, it holds up with contagious energy and genuinely mesmerizing atmosphere.</p><!-- more --><p>Pink’s strength comes with a poised grip on shoegaze. From the dreamy wails of opener “Farewell” to the pooling reverb of “My Machine”, Boris channel the nature-heavy sounds of post-rock acts like <a href="http://consequenceofsound.net/artist/mogwai/">Mogwai</a> or <a href="http://consequenceofsound.net/artist/this-will-destroy-you/">This Will Destroy You</a>. Here was a metal band evoking a type of intimacy and pause absent in prior records. Various forms of metal offer similar refuge, usually found by the listener choosing to let nonstop noise wash over them until it becomes a meditative lull, but Boris took the active role here. B-side “Your Name Part 2” sees a lonely guitar walking drunkenly along a river at night. Introspection replaces irritation. Melancholy rises without the usual backbone of gloom. Guitarist Wata, bassist Takeshi, and drummer Atsuo work through it like they’ve been making these songs for ages. Then again, this is a band that, even back then, was all over the board, be it<a href="http://consequenceofsound.net/2016/03/album-review-boris-merzbow-gensho/">collaborating</a> with Merzbow, taking their name from a Melvins song, or performing with Keiji Haino. Their interests never end, and neither does their desire to learn from those interests.</p><p>Yet Pink still runs on noise metal. From the hard rock riffs of “Pseudo Bread” and the title-track to the maxed-out distortion of “Nothing Special”, Boris crank the volume up over and over, honing in on their signature style ten years into a career that was, until a few years prior, considered underground. Wata soars through her sections, in part made all the better by amps twice her size. Takeshi rages, offering up stoner metal, garage bass lines, and thrashing noise that slobbers in a strangely enticing way. Each member leans into their instruments heavily. By the time the near-20-minute closer “Just Abandoned Myself” comes around, they shoot off electric, pummeling notes. Pink is full of heat and noise, but Boris give it that alluring tint by keeping each segment melodic when their parts line up.</p><figure class="tmblr-embed tmblr-full" data-provider="youtube" data-orig-width="459" data-orig-height="344" data-url="https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DbREC4gvH5Gw"><iframe width="540" height="405" id="youtube_iframe" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/bREC4gvH5Gw?feature=oembed&enablejsapi=1&origin=https://safe.txmblr.com&wmode=opaque" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></figure><p>The nine unreleased tracks on the reissue reveal even more depth, a voyage into the limbs of Pink that likely was cut to avoid straying from their metal core. The repetition of “Tiptoe” and “Room Noise” find bliss within British shoegaze, the latter complete with a beautiful, passionate guitar solo. The stoner metal of “non/sha/lant” expands into traditional growls on “Talisman”, once again showing the trio’s talent at stretching their sound into something massive, no matter the genre. On bonus tracks “SOFUN” and <a href="http://consequenceofsound.net/2016/05/top-10-songs-of-the-week-513/9/">“Are You Ready?”</a>, Boris reveal how many gems were left on the cutting floor. Both see Wata zipping around in a frenzy, her guitar lines squealing like a child, occasionally looping in an addictive trill that brings enough melody to open up a mosh pit. Though it would’ve been an ego stroke at the time, Boris should have released Pink with all 20 songs at its initial release. The reissue expands into joyful, endearing themes, and if someone were to pick up a copy of Pink today, they may find that aids in swallowing the record’s gargantuan sound.</p><p>Of course, an album the length of a feature film isn’t welcoming, but its commitment to varied sound brings something to the table that metal often fails to do. Pink is a welcoming hand, a bridge to the metal world that few albums extend with sincerity to non-metalheads. Like <a href="http://consequenceofsound.net/artist/deafheaven/">Deafheaven</a>’s <a href="http://consequenceofsound.net/2013/06/album-review-deafheaven-sunbather/">Sunbather</a>, Pink offers elements of shoegaze and melodic rock that lure in newcomers. When you open yourself up, you invite people to get to know you who otherwise may not have, and to be more comfortable with trends they usually find too foreign to engage with. Maybe it’s a pink album art thing that signals this isn’t the scraggly-font metal heard blaring from your cousin’s bedroom. To break the barriers of stereotypes, hammers must swing at the concrete not by potential fans, but by those embodying the stereotypes themselves. Pink was Boris’ opportunity to do that. Today, the trio continue to alter their sound, but hearing one of their first albums take these leaps reminds listeners that the human spirit, even when deafening, can’t be summed up in one sound, one word, one genre. Though if forced to choose, the word “pink” works rather well, if only because having a bright pink album appear on the screen of your iPod mini just felt right.</p><p>Essential Tracks: “Farewell”, “Are You Ready?”, and “SOFUN”</p><p><a href="http://consequenceofsound.net/2016/07/album-review-boris-pink-reissue/">(via Consequence of Sound)</a></p>US / THEM Grouptag:usthemgroup.com,2005:Post/42897552016-07-21T11:36:22-07:002017-01-12T06:15:52-08:00Invisible Oranges interviews Boris<p><figure data-orig-width="658" data-orig-height="106" class="tmblr-full"><img src="//66.media.tumblr.com/d0831e1df71907ac062e36e8cd5efe51/tumblr_inline_oaogkfcFcy1qbzv4w_540.png" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="image" /></figure><figure data-orig-width="630" data-orig-height="630" class="tmblr-full"><img src="//65.media.tumblr.com/614e3023ee4193567e16780b71a95969/tumblr_inline_oaofox1fYO1qbzv4w_540.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="image" /></figure><figure data-orig-width="645" data-orig-height="58" class="tmblr-full"><img src="//65.media.tumblr.com/dc221e6537c3e45464601de73cc3c970/tumblr_inline_oaofpd9qWO1qbzv4w_540.png" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="image" /></figure></p><p>Japan’s <a href="http://sargenthouse.com/boris">Boris</a> has been around for decades but it is their album <a href="https://boris.bandcamp.com/album/pink-deluxe-edition">Pink</a>, now 10 years old, that is considered their most seminal work. One of the first bands to combine sludge, shoegaze and ambient tones in a crunchy yet accessible way (why yes, even before <a href="http://deafheaven.com">Deafheaven</a> came onto the scene), Pink helped usher in a new kind of crossover appreciation in metal fans for minimalistic yet heavy sound. It is no coincidence that 2006 was also the first time Boris toured in North America with Sunn O))).</p><p>For the records’ 10th anniversary Boris has released a deluxe edition that includes nine unreleased bonus tracks and the band plans to play the complete album in full this summer when on tour with fellow drone OG’s <a href="http://thronesanddominions.com">Earth</a>.</p><p>I chatted with bassist/guitarist/lead vocalist Takeshi Ohtani via email (and Japanese to English translator) about their history, the origination of Pink and this summer’s dates (listed below).</p><p><b>Nine unreleased songs is a pretty significant number! Did all of the bonus tracks come from the same writing/recording session?</b></p><p>Yeah, they are all songs recorded during the same sessions and around the same time frame as the songs on the original release. But at the same time, there is some additional editing and arranging that took place to work it out for the release.</p><p><b>Why have you titled them ‘Forbidden Songs’?</b></p><p>Since 2003 we began touring incessantly, and as we matured and were able to accomplish things faster and also got to see the world, our own awareness steadily changed. Among all of this we released Pink. Amidst the constant touring, at that point it became clear to us exactly what we should be doing.</p><p>For the original Pink only songs that had that reality–songs that only we could produce, were chosen. “Forbidden Songs” consists of a lot of material that seemed like it was influenced from “something” or that the influence was too obvious, perhaps. So, because we deemed those songs as not “sounds that only we could produce”, at the time we kind of “sealed” them up. I guess that is the meaning behind it.</p><!-- more --><figure class="tmblr-embed tmblr-full" data-provider="youtube" data-orig-width="459" data-orig-height="344" data-url="https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DbREC4gvH5Gw"><iframe width="540" height="405" id="youtube_iframe" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/bREC4gvH5Gw?feature=oembed&enablejsapi=1&origin=https://safe.txmblr.com&wmode=opaque" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></figure><p><b>Are there even more tracks that didn’t make the bonus cut?</b></p><p>Well, there were some things that just ended up being like memos of riffs, and also a bunch of songs with bad recordings so that we couldn’t finish them, things like that.</p><p><b>Were the ‘Forbidden Songs’ derived from the same session the tracks that did make it onto Pink originated from?</b></p><p>Yes, they’re all from the same period. From that time and even still now, we make songs out of studio jam sessions. We never write riffs beforehand. We go in the studio and record exactly what comes out of us from our feelings at that time. It’s an extremely simple method, actually.</p><p>The “Forbidden Songs” material was all born in this same way. From around 2004 we became able to record by ourselves, and so in the studio we always have the recorder going.</p><p>I recall working on the 4 releases Pink, Vein, Dronevil and Mabutanoura simultaneously and seeing them move forward at the same rate. At that time it was trial and error, and repeat. We didn’t have the full set-up that we do now, and half the time basic tracks were recorded on cassette tape with drums in the left stereo channel and guitars in the right channel. However, we could say that it was that sound quality that taught us the way we should go forward.</p><p><b>In general, what was the writing/recording process for this album?</b></p><p>We set up the equipment and mics ourselves, turned the recorder on had a jam session. We didn’t let the expectations or opinions of anyone other than ourselves intervene in any way. Therefore, we were able to follow through until we could grasp the sounds that only we could create. In that way, it was kind of the time we formulated or own recording style. We don’t let ourselves be captivated by typical methods and just do as we please. Whether the sound quality is good or bad is secondary. I have the feeling our own style of touring, recording and writing were all developed at this time.</p><p><b>How does it feel to be reaching the 10th anniversary of this record? Are you surprised at how fans have embraced it over the years?</b></p><p>For so long we have just been concerned with the future in terms of moving forward, that all I can think is, “What? Already 10 years have passed since Pink? Time flies!” However, looking back at the history of our activity and our body of work, one important job becomes accurately presenting the course of events from the past.<br>We’re extremely grateful to all of our fans. We hope both new and old listeners will enjoy this release.</p><p><b>Are you excited to incorporate the bonus tracks into your live set + play the album in full? Does it feel more ‘complete’ this way?</b></p><p>As I was just saying, we’re constantly wanting to create new works and try new things. 10 years have passed since the release of Pink, but in these 10 years our way of creating sound has changed considerably. Now, if the three of us produce the sounds of Pink it will become the sound of “now”. We have never performed any of the “Forbidden Songs” material on stage before. Therefore in no way will those songs be a “reappearance”, and rather than Pink becoming complete I guess you could say it will change into something entirely different.</p><p><b>You are playing with Earth on this tour, another band with a heavy, drone tonality and a long history. Do you consider them an influence on your music? What are your thoughts on touring with them? Any potential live collaborations?</b></p><p>We were influenced and impacted so much by Earth 2 to the extent that it pretty much changed our outlook on life. Before we have received the privilege of supporting them on their Japanese tour and having Dylan support on our U.S. tour as solo outfit, but we’re really happy to be able to go with them long-term like this time. If the timing is right for collaboration at some point we’d absolutely love to try one.</p><p>…</p><p>TOUR DATES<br>07-22 San Diego, CA – The Casbah *<br>07-23 Phoenix, AZ – Crescent Ballroom *<br>07-25 Dallas, TX – Trees *<br>07-26 Austin, TX – The Mohawk *<br>07-28 Ybor City, FL – The Orpheum *<br>07-29 Orlando, FL – The Social *<br>07-30 Atlanta, GA – The Masquerade *<br>07-31 Asheville, NC – The Orange Peel *<br>08-01 Nashville, TN – Third Man Records *<br>08-03 Carrboro, NC – Cat’s Cradle *<br>08-04 Washington, DC – 930 Club *<br>08-05 Brooklyn, NY – Warsaw *<br>08-06 Philadelphia, PA – Union Transfer *<br>08-07 Hamden, CT – The Ballroom at The Outer Space *<br>08-09 Boston, MA – Paradise Rock Club *<br>08-10 Montreal, Quebec – Bar Le Ritz P.D.B.<br>08-11 Toronto, Ontario – Lee’s Palace<br>08-12 Cleveland, OH – Grog Shop *<br>08-13 Grand Rapids, MI – Pyramid Scheme *<br>08-14 Chicago, IL – Metro *<br>08-16 Madison, WI – Majestic Theater *<br>08-17 Minneapolis, MN – Fineline Music Cafe *<br>08-18 Lawrence, KS – Granada Theatre *<br>08-19 Denver, CO – Bluebird Theater *<br>08-20 Salt Lake City, UT – Urban Lounge *<br>08-22 Seattle, WA – Neumo’s *<br>08-23 Portland, OR – Wonder Ballroom *<br>08-25 San Francisco, CA – The Fillmore *<br>08-26 Los Angeles, CA – The Regent Theater *<br>08-27 Las Vegas, NV – Hard Rock Hotel *</p><p>* with Earth</p><p><a href="http://www.invisibleoranges.com/interview-takeshi-ohtani-boris/">(via Invisible Oranges)</a></p>US / THEM Grouptag:usthemgroup.com,2005:Post/42892762016-07-21T11:31:23-07:002016-07-21T14:47:19-07:00Invisible Oranges interviews Boris<p> </p>
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<p>Japan’s <a href="http://sargenthouse.com/sargenthouse.com/boris">Boris</a> has been around for decades but it is their album <a href="https://boris.bandcamp.com/album/pink-deluxe-edition">Pink</a>, now 10 years old, that is considered their most seminal work. One of the first bands to combine sludge, shoegaze and ambient tones in a crunchy yet accessible way (why yes, even before <a href="http://sargenthouse.com/deafheaven.com">Deafheaven</a> came onto the scene), Pink helped usher in a new kind of crossover appreciation in metal fans for minimalistic yet heavy sound. It is no coincidence that 2006 was also the first time Boris toured in North America with Sunn O))).</p>
<p>For the records’ 10th anniversary Boris has released a deluxe edition that includes nine unreleased bonus tracks and the band plans to play the complete album in full this summer when on tour with fellow drone OG’s <a href="http://sargenthouse.com/thronesanddominions.com">Earth</a>.</p>
<p>I chatted with bassist/guitarist/lead vocalist Takeshi Ohtani via email (and Japanese to English translator) about their history, the origination of Pink and this summer’s dates (listed below).</p>
<p><b>Nine unreleased songs is a pretty significant number! Did all of the bonus tracks come from the same writing/recording session?</b></p>
<p>Yeah, they are all songs recorded during the same sessions and around the same time frame as the songs on the original release. But at the same time, there is some additional editing and arranging that took place to work it out for the release.</p>
<p><b>Why have you titled them ‘Forbidden Songs’?</b></p>
<p>Since 2003 we began touring incessantly, and as we matured and were able to accomplish things faster and also got to see the world, our own awareness steadily changed. Among all of this we released Pink. Amidst the constant touring, at that point it became clear to us exactly what we should be doing.</p>
<p>For the original Pink only songs that had that reality–songs that only we could produce, were chosen. “Forbidden Songs” consists of a lot of material that seemed like it was influenced from “something” or that the influence was too obvious, perhaps. So, because we deemed those songs as not “sounds that only we could produce”, at the time we kind of “sealed” them up. I guess that is the meaning behind it.</p><!-- more -->
<figure class="tmblr-embed tmblr-full" data-orig-height="344" data-orig-width="459" data-provider="youtube" data-url="https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DbREC4gvH5Gw"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="405" id="youtube_iframe" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/bREC4gvH5Gw?feature=oembed&enablejsapi=1&origin=https://safe.txmblr.com&wmode=opaque" width="540"></iframe></figure>
<p><b>Are there even more tracks that didn’t make the bonus cut?</b></p>
<p>Well, there were some things that just ended up being like memos of riffs, and also a bunch of songs with bad recordings so that we couldn’t finish them, things like that.</p>
<p><b>Were the ‘Forbidden Songs’ derived from the same session the tracks that did make it onto Pink originated from?</b></p>
<p>Yes, they’re all from the same period. From that time and even still now, we make songs out of studio jam sessions. We never write riffs beforehand. We go in the studio and record exactly what comes out of us from our feelings at that time. It’s an extremely simple method, actually.</p>
<p>The “Forbidden Songs” material was all born in this same way. From around 2004 we became able to record by ourselves, and so in the studio we always have the recorder going.</p>
<p>I recall working on the 4 releases Pink, Vein, Dronevil and Mabutanoura simultaneously and seeing them move forward at the same rate. At that time it was trial and error, and repeat. We didn’t have the full set-up that we do now, and half the time basic tracks were recorded on cassette tape with drums in the left stereo channel and guitars in the right channel. However, we could say that it was that sound quality that taught us the way we should go forward.</p>
<p><b>In general, what was the writing/recording process for this album?</b></p>
<p>We set up the equipment and mics ourselves, turned the recorder on had a jam session. We didn’t let the expectations or opinions of anyone other than ourselves intervene in any way. Therefore, we were able to follow through until we could grasp the sounds that only we could create. In that way, it was kind of the time we formulated or own recording style. We don’t let ourselves be captivated by typical methods and just do as we please. Whether the sound quality is good or bad is secondary. I have the feeling our own style of touring, recording and writing were all developed at this time.</p>
<p><b>How does it feel to be reaching the 10th anniversary of this record? Are you surprised at how fans have embraced it over the years?</b></p>
<p>For so long we have just been concerned with the future in terms of moving forward, that all I can think is, “What? Already 10 years have passed since Pink? Time flies!” However, looking back at the history of our activity and our body of work, one important job becomes accurately presenting the course of events from the past.<br>We’re extremely grateful to all of our fans. We hope both new and old listeners will enjoy this release.</p>
<p><b>Are you excited to incorporate the bonus tracks into your live set + play the album in full? Does it feel more ‘complete’ this way?</b></p>
<p>As I was just saying, we’re constantly wanting to create new works and try new things. 10 years have passed since the release of Pink, but in these 10 years our way of creating sound has changed considerably. Now, if the three of us produce the sounds of Pink it will become the sound of “now”. We have never performed any of the “Forbidden Songs” material on stage before. Therefore in no way will those songs be a “reappearance”, and rather than Pink becoming complete I guess you could say it will change into something entirely different.</p>
<p><b>You are playing with Earth on this tour, another band with a heavy, drone tonality and a long history. Do you consider them an influence on your music? What are your thoughts on touring with them? Any potential live collaborations?</b></p>
<p>We were influenced and impacted so much by Earth 2 to the extent that it pretty much changed our outlook on life. Before we have received the privilege of supporting them on their Japanese tour and having Dylan support on our U.S. tour as solo outfit, but we’re really happy to be able to go with them long-term like this time. If the timing is right for collaboration at some point we’d absolutely love to try one.</p>
<p>…</p>
<p>TOUR DATES<br>07-22 San Diego, CA – The Casbah *<br>07-23 Phoenix, AZ – Crescent Ballroom *<br>07-25 Dallas, TX – Trees *<br>07-26 Austin, TX – The Mohawk *<br>07-28 Ybor City, FL – The Orpheum *<br>07-29 Orlando, FL – The Social *<br>07-30 Atlanta, GA – The Masquerade *<br>07-31 Asheville, NC – The Orange Peel *<br>08-01 Nashville, TN – Third Man Records *<br>08-03 Carrboro, NC – Cat’s Cradle *<br>08-04 Washington, DC – 930 Club *<br>08-05 Brooklyn, NY – Warsaw *<br>08-06 Philadelphia, PA – Union Transfer *<br>08-07 Hamden, CT – The Ballroom at The Outer Space *<br>08-09 Boston, MA – Paradise Rock Club *<br>08-10 Montreal, Quebec – Bar Le Ritz P.D.B.<br>08-11 Toronto, Ontario – Lee’s Palace<br>08-12 Cleveland, OH – Grog Shop *<br>08-13 Grand Rapids, MI – Pyramid Scheme *<br>08-14 Chicago, IL – Metro *<br>08-16 Madison, WI – Majestic Theater *<br>08-17 Minneapolis, MN – Fineline Music Cafe *<br>08-18 Lawrence, KS – Granada Theatre *<br>08-19 Denver, CO – Bluebird Theater *<br>08-20 Salt Lake City, UT – Urban Lounge *<br>08-22 Seattle, WA – Neumo’s *<br>08-23 Portland, OR – Wonder Ballroom *<br>08-25 San Francisco, CA – The Fillmore *<br>08-26 Los Angeles, CA – The Regent Theater *<br>08-27 Las Vegas, NV – Hard Rock Hotel *</p>
<p>* with Earth</p>
<p><a href="http://www.invisibleoranges.com/interview-takeshi-ohtani-boris/">(via Invisible Oranges)</a></p>
<p> </p>US / THEM Grouptag:usthemgroup.com,2005:Post/42709032016-07-08T11:18:04-07:002017-01-12T06:15:52-08:00Boris “Pink (Deluxe Edition) is out now<figure data-orig-width="2000" data-orig-height="2000" class="tmblr-full"><img src="//65.media.tumblr.com/a9b9aeb9f9e948a96d40b1d0ce43f0fc/tumblr_inline_oa0c4wrs5k1qbzv4w_540.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="image" /></figure><p><a href="http://sargenthouse.com/boris">Boris</a> <i>Pink (Deluxe Edition) </i>is out today. The deluxe version comes with custom packaging in both 3xLP and 2xCD formats, as well as “Forbidden Songs”, a full album’s worth of previously unreleased material. Physical copies are available in stores and online (<a href="https://www.hellomerch.com/collections/boris">US $ store - ships worldwide</a>, <a href="http://sargenthouse.awesomedistro.com/artists/boris">UK £ store - ships EU</a>). The album is also available digitally on <a href="http://smarturl.it/BorisPinkDLX">iTunes</a>, <a href="https://open.spotify.com/album/2rRHqBhUioCssa9VHMRJYO">Spotify</a>, and <a href="https://boris.bandcamp.com/album/pink-deluxe-edition">Bandcamp</a>.</p><p>Boris will be touring North America and playing <i>Pink </i>in its entirety. Earth will join them for all US dates. A full list of dates is below - tickets and info available <a href="http://sargenthouse.com/boris">HERE</a>.</p><p>BORIS PINK TOUR with EARTH and SHITSTORM<br>07/22 San Diego, CA @ The Casbah<br>07/23 Phoenix, AZ @ Crescent Ballroom<br>07/25 Dallas, TX @ Trees<br>07/26 Austin, TX @ The Mohawk<br>07/28 Ybor City, FL @ The Orpheum<br>07/29 Orlando, FL @ The Social<br>07/30 Atlanta, GA @ The Masquerade<br>07/31 Asheville, NC @ The Orange Peel<br>08/01 Nashville, TN @ Third Man Records<br>08/03 Carrboro, NC @ Cat’s Cradle<br>08/04 Washington, DC @ 930 Club<br>08/05 Brooklyn, NY @ Warsaw<br>08/06 Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer<br>08/07 Hamden, CT @ The Ballroom at The Outer Space<br>08/09 Boston, MA @ Paradise Rock Club<br>08/10 Montreal, QC @ Bar Le Ritz P.D.B. (no Earth)<br>08/11 Toronto, ON @ Lee’s Palace (no Earth)<br>08/12 Cleveland, OH @ Grog Shop<br>08/13 Grand Rapids, MI @ Pyramid Scheme<br>08/14 Chicago, IL @ Metro<br>08/16 Madison, WI @ Majestic Theater<br>08/17 Minneapolis, MN @ Fineline Music Cafe<br>08/18 Lawrence, KS @ Granada Theatre<br>08/19 Denver, CO @ Bluebird Theater<br>08/20 Salt Lake City, UT @ Urban Lounge<br>08/22 Seattle, WA @ Neumo’s<br>08/23 Portland, OR @ Wonder Ballroom<br>08/25 San Francisco, CA @ The Fillmore<br>08/26 Los Angeles, CA @ The Regent Theater<br>08/27 Las Vegas, NV @ Hard Rock Hotel - Psycho Las Vegas (Boris only)<br></p>US / THEM Grouptag:usthemgroup.com,2005:Post/42684012016-07-07T09:12:17-07:002016-07-07T16:16:42-07:00Boris streams “Forbidden Songs” from Pink Deluxe Edition<iframe width="100%" height="450" scrolling="no" frameborder="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/playlists/239222418&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&visual=true"></iframe><p><a href="http://sargenthouse.com/boris">Boris</a> are streaming “Forbidden Songs” - an album’s worth of previously unreleased material included in <i>Pink (Deluxe Edition)</i> - a day before its release. Listen to “Forbidden Songs” above. <i>Pink (Deluxe Edition) </i>is available online and in stores tomorrow, July 8th. Order through their <a href="https://www.hellomerch.com/collections/boris">US $ store</a> (ships worldwide), their <a href="http://sargenthouse.awesomedistro.com/artists/boris">UK £ store</a> (ships to UK & EU), or through <a href="http://smarturl.it/BorisPinkDLX">iTunes</a>.</p><p>Boris will be playing <i>Pink</i> live on tour with <a href="http://thronesanddominions.com">Earth</a> joining them on all US dates. A full list of dates can be found below. Tickets and info available <a href="http://sargenthouse.com/boris">HERE</a>.</p><p>BORIS PINK TOUR with EARTH and SHITSTORM<br>07/22 San Diego, CA @ The Casbah<br>07/23 Phoenix, AZ @ Crescent Ballroom<br>07/25 Dallas, TX @ Trees<br>07/26 Austin, TX @ The Mohawk<br>07/28 Ybor City, FL @ The Orpheum<br>07/29 Orlando, FL @ The Social<br>07/30 Atlanta, GA @ The Masquerade<br>07/31 Asheville, NC @ The Orange Peel<br>08/01 Nashville, TN @ Third Man Records<br>08/03 Carrboro, NC @ Cat’s Cradle<br>08/04 Washington, DC @ 930 Club<br>08/05 Brooklyn, NY @ Warsaw<br>08/06 Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer<br>08/07 Hamden, CT @ The Ballroom at The Outer Space<br>08/09 Boston, MA @ Paradise Rock Club<br>08/10 Montreal, QC @ Bar Le Ritz P.D.B. (no Earth)<br>08/11 Toronto, ON @ Lee’s Palace (no Earth)<br>08/12 Cleveland, OH @ Grog Shop<br>08/13 Grand Rapids, MI @ Pyramid Scheme<br>08/14 Chicago, IL @ Metro<br>08/16 Madison, WI @ Majestic Theater<br>08/17 Minneapolis, MN @ Fineline Music Cafe<br>08/18 Lawrence, KS @ Granada Theatre<br>08/19 Denver, CO @ Bluebird Theater<br>08/20 Salt Lake City, UT @ Urban Lounge<br>08/22 Seattle, WA @ Neumo’s<br>08/23 Portland, OR @ Wonder Ballroom<br>08/25 San Francisco, CA @ The Fillmore<br>08/26 Los Angeles, CA @ The Regent Theater<br>08/27 Las Vegas, NV @ Hard Rock Hotel - Psycho Las Vegas (Boris only)</p>US / THEM Grouptag:usthemgroup.com,2005:Post/42326582016-06-15T12:37:10-07:002017-01-12T06:15:51-08:00Boris premieres previously unreleased track “SOFUN” on NPR Music<p><a href="http://www.npr.org/sections/allsongs/2016/06/15/482042380/vikings-choice-boris-sofun"><figure data-orig-width="500" data-orig-height="148" class="tmblr-full"><img src="//65.media.tumblr.com/706cc76ceae82afe5b8bdd2613f6d870/tumblr_inline_o8ttmeNpD41qbzv4w_540.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="image" /></figure><figure data-orig-width="900" data-orig-height="506" class="tmblr-full"><img src="//66.media.tumblr.com/26323479a221fd98d1f68e5dee78bfa2/tumblr_inline_o8ttnePK0D1qbzv4w_540.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="image" /></figure><figure data-orig-width="574" data-orig-height="106" class="tmblr-full"><img src="//66.media.tumblr.com/b4eeb9c58bc39adf1a1feecb9d97435a/tumblr_inline_o8ttp213Mq1qbzv4w_540.png" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="image" /></figure></a></p><p><i>by Lars Gotrich</i></p><p>Before <a href="http://deafheaven.com/">Deafheaven’s</a> Sunbather ended up in iPhone ads, another rose-colored metal album crossed over in surprising and significant ways. Ten years ago, <a href="http://sargenthouse.com/boris">Boris</a> released <i>Pink</i> — a wild and stunning amalgamation of the Japanese trio’s previous decade — to U.S. audiences. <i>Pink</i> was prescient in how metal would rethink what it meant to be heavy, with metallic shoegaze butting up against feedback-sick drone and glittery punk. But <i>Pink</i> was mostly just a ruthless rock ‘n’ roll record, banging on MC5’s hard blues and revving High Rise’s motorcycle-guitar with catchy hooks and flashy guitar solos.</p><p>For <i>Pink’s</i> 10th anniversary, a forthcoming deluxe 2CD/3LP reissue comes packaged with Forbidden Songs, practically another album’s worth of unreleased tracks recorded during the making of <i>Pink</i>. The high-energy “SOFUN” roars like Motorhead in a bar fight on the moon.</p><p>Pink comes out July 8 on <a href="http://sargenthouse.com">Sargent House</a> (<a href="https://www.hellomerch.com/collections/boris">physical</a>, <a href="http://smarturl.it/BorisPinkDLX">digital</a>). Boris will perform Pink on a <a href="https://www.facebook.com/borisheavyrocks/events">U.S. tour</a> starting July 23 - a full list of dates can be found below.<br></p><p><a href="http://www.npr.org/sections/allsongs/2016/06/15/482042380/vikings-choice-boris-sofun">Click HERE to listen to “SOFUN”</a></p><!-- more --><p><b><a href="http://sargenthouse.com/boris">BORIS</a> / <a href="http://thronesanddominions.com">EARTH</a> / SHITSTORM TOUR 2016:</b></p><p>07/22 San Diego, CA @ The Casbah<br>07/23 Phoenix, AZ @ Crescent Ballroom<br>07/25 Dallas, TX @ Trees<br>07/26 Austin, TX @ The Mohawk<br>07/28 Ybor City, FL @ The Orpheum<br>07/29 Orlando, FL @ The Social<br>07/30 Atlanta, GA @ The Masquerade<br>07/31 Asheville, NC @ The Orange Peel<br>08/01 Nashville, TN @ Third Man Records<br>08/03 Carrboro, NC @ Cat’s Cradle<br>08/04 Washington, DC @ 930 Club<br>08/05 Brooklyn, NY @ Warsaw<br>08/06 Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer<br>08/07 New Haven, CT @ College Street Music Hall<br>08/09 Boston, MA @ Paradise Rock Club<br>08/10 Montreal, QC @ Bar Le Ritz P.D.B. <b>(no Earth)<br></b>08/11 Toronto, ON @ Lee’s Palace <b>(no Earth)<br></b>08/12 Cleveland, OH @ Grog Shop<br>08/13 Grand Rapids, MI @ Pyramid Scheme<br>08/14 Chicago, IL @ Metro<br>08/16 Madison, WI @ Majestic Theater<br>08/17 Minneapolis, MN @ Fineline Music Cafe<br>08/18 Lawrence, KS @ Granada Theatre<br>08/19 Denver, CO @ Bluebird Theater<br>08/20 Salt Lake City, UT @ Urban Lounge<br>08/22 Seattle, WA @ Neumo’s<br>08/23 Portland, OR @ Wonder Ballroom<br>08/25 San Francisco, CA @ The Fillmore<br>08/26 Los Angeles, CA @ The Regent Theater<br>08/27 Las Vegas, NV @ Hard Rock Hotel - <i>Psycho Las Vegas </i><b>(Boris only)</b></p>US / THEM Grouptag:usthemgroup.com,2005:Post/41722862016-05-09T10:50:48-07:002016-05-09T11:47:17-07:00Pitchfork // Boris reissue Pink with bonus album of unreleased material, announce full US tour with Earth<p> </p>
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<p> </p>
<p><a href="http://pitchfork.com/news/65328-boris-reissue-pink-with-bonus-album-share-are-you-ready-listen/">by <b>Noah Yoo</b></a></p>
<p>To celebrate the 10-year anniversary of their excellent album <i><a href="http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/1185-pink/">Pink</a></i><i>, </i>Japanese metal band <a href="http://sargenthouse.com/boris">Boris</a> are reissuing a deluxe edition of the LP. It will come with a bonus album of previously unreleased songs that were recorded at the same time as <i>Pink. </i>Titled <i>Forbidden Songs, </i>the bonus album includes a track called "Are You Ready?" which you can stream <a href="http://pitchfork.com/news/65328-boris-reissue-pink-with-bonus-album-share-are-you-ready-listen/">HERE</a>. Also below, find the tracklist.</p>
<p>Boris are also heading out on a North American tour this summer, and will be performing <i>Pink </i>in full during their shows; find a full list of dates below. <a href="http://sargenthouse.com/thronesanddominions.com">Earth</a> will support. The reissue will be available on 3xLP box set, 2xCD, and download on July 8 via <a href="http://sargenthouse.com/">Sargent House</a>.</p><iframe frameborder="no" height="166" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/262842631&color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false" width="100%"></iframe>
<p> </p>
<p><i><b>Pink (Deluxe Edition)</b></i></p>
<p>01 Pink<br>02 Woman on the Screen<br>03 Nothing Special<br>04 Blackout<br>05 Electric<br>06 Six, Three Times<br>07 Afterburner<br>08 Pseudo Bread (long version)<br>09 My Machine (long version)<br>10 Farewell (long version)<br>11 Just Abandoned Myself</p>
<p><i><b>Forbidden Songs</b></i></p>
<p>01 Your Name Part 2<br>02 Heavy Rock Industry<br>03 Sofun<br>04 Non/Sha/Lant<br>05 Room Noise<br>06 Talisman<br>07 N.F.Sorrow<br>08 Are You Ready?<br>09 Tiptoe</p>
<p>BORIS / EARTH US TOUR 2016</p>
<p>07-22 San Diego, CA - The Casbah<br>07-23 Phoenix, AZ - Crescent Ballroom<br>07-25 Dallas, TX - Trees<br>07-26 Austin, TX - The Mohawk<br>07-28 Ybor City, FL - The Orpheum<br>07-29 Orlando, FL - The Social<br>07-30 Atlanta, GA - The Masquerade<br>07-31 Asheville, NC - The Orange Peel<br>08-01 Nashville, TN - Third Man Records<br>08-03 Carrboro, NC - Cat's Cradle<br>08-04 Washington, DC - 930 Club<br>08-05 Brookln, NY - Warsaw<br>08-06 Philadelphia, PA - Union Transfer<br>08-07 New Haven, CT - College Street Music Hall<br>08-09 Boston, MA - Paradise Rock Club<br>08-10 Montreal, Quebec - Bar Le Ritz P.D.B. *<br>08-11 Toronto, Ontario - Lee's Palace *<br>08-12 Cleveland, OH - Grog Shop<br>08-13 Grand Rapids, MI - Pyramid Scheme<br>08-14 Chicago, IL - Metro<br>08-16 Madison, WI - Majestic Theater<br>08-17 Minneapolis, MN - Fineline Music Cafe<br>08-18 Lawrence, KS - Granada Theatre<br>08-19 Denver, CO - Bluebird Theater<br>08-20 Salt Lake City, UT - Urban Lounge<br>08-22 Seattle, WA - Neumo's<br>08-23 Portland, OR - Wonder Ballroom<br>08-25 San Francisco, CA - The Fillmore<br>08-26 Los Angeles, CA - The Regent Theater<br>08-27 Las Vegas, NV - Hard Rock Hotel *</p>
<p>* Boris only</p>
<p><a href="http://pitchfork.com/news/65328-boris-reissue-pink-with-bonus-album-share-are-you-ready-listen/">(via Pitchfork)</a></p>US / THEM Grouptag:usthemgroup.com,2005:Post/40470922016-02-17T12:29:33-08:002017-01-12T06:15:46-08:00Wire premieres live video of new Boris song “More”<figure class="tmblr-full" data-orig-height="47" data-orig-width="599"><img src="//41.media.tumblr.com/53442ea0ca35b878a5cfa6a5402cd7e6/tumblr_inline_o2pks1Zf2e1qg2879_540.png" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" /></figure><iframe src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/155670166" width="500" height="281" frameborder="0" webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen allowfullscreen></iframe><p><br></p><figure class="tmblr-full" data-orig-height="61" data-orig-width="626"><img src="//36.media.tumblr.com/7bb60a19792a331068fef0c95dd40ed0/tumblr_inline_o2pkt2gej51qg2879_540.png" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" /></figure><p><b>Watch an exclusive live video of a brand new Boris song.</b></p><p>Japanese power trio <a href="http://sargenthouse.com/boris">Boris</a> premiered the new song “More” in 2015. This exclusive live video was filmed on 22 September at last year’s edition of Tokyo’s Leave Them All Behind festival, and was directed by Ryuta Murayama (Food United).</p><p>You can read all about the group and their 20 year career in the cover feature of <a href="http://www.thewire.co.uk/issues/385">The Wire 385</a>, in which James Hadfield interviews the group in Tokyo. <a href="https://www.thewire.co.uk/subscriptions/">Subscriber’s</a> to The Wire can also read the feature online via <a href="http://www.exacteditions.com/read/the-wire/march-2016-%28issue-385%29-48552">Exact Editions</a>.</p><p><a href="http://www.thewire.co.uk/video/boris-performing-their-new-song_more">(via Wire)</a></p>US / THEM Grouptag:usthemgroup.com,2005:Post/40376222016-02-11T18:12:55-08:002017-01-12T06:15:46-08:00The Wire // Boris cover feature<p><figure data-orig-width="779" data-orig-height="960" class="tmblr-full"><img src="//41.media.tumblr.com/26b0e27135b9ebf18b402e679703efba/tumblr_inline_o2ewiayWq11qbzv4w_540.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="image" /></figure></p><p><a href="http://sargenthouse.com/boris">Boris</a> are on the cover of issue 385 of <a href="http://www.thewire.co.uk/issues/385">The Wire</a>, available on newsstands now. Click <a href="http://www.thewire.co.uk/issues/385">HERE</a> to see a preview or buy a copy online, and check out a preivew of their upcoming collaboration with Merzbow <a href="http://www.rollingstone.com/music/premieres/boris-with-merzbow-tinker-with-a-track-from-their-interactive-album-20160204">HERE</a>.</p>US / THEM Grouptag:usthemgroup.com,2005:Post/40308252016-02-08T10:30:29-08:002017-01-12T06:15:46-08:00Boris announces 2016 US tour dates<figure class="tmblr-full" data-orig-height="2680" data-orig-width="2000"><img src="//41.media.tumblr.com/e8c4b957b026317bdd334a0088445397/tumblr_inline_o21r3n3I5z1qg2879_540.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" /></figure><p>Boris are happy to announce their “Preview: Memento Mori” dates, following their performance at <a href="http://levitation-austin.com/">Levitation Austin 2016</a> (formerly Austin Psych Fest). A full list of shows can be seen below. Tickets can be found <a href="http://sargenthouse.com/boris">HERE</a> and go on sale Friday, February 12th. </p><p>BORIS US TOUR DATES 2016</p><p>Apr 30 - Austin, TX @ <a href="http://levitation-austin.com/">Levitation Fest</a><br>May 01 - El Paso, TX @ Tricky Falls<br>May 02 - Albuquerque, NM @ Sister<br>May 03 - Flagstaff, AZ @ Green Room<br>May 05 - Oakland, CA @ The New Parish<br>May 06 - Fresno, CA @ Strummers<br>May 07 - Pomona, CA @ The Glass House</p>US / THEM Grouptag:usthemgroup.com,2005:Post/40255022016-02-04T11:45:38-08:002017-01-12T06:15:46-08:00Rolling Stone premieres first tracks from new Boris & Merzbow collaboration<figure class="tmblr-full" data-orig-height="671" data-orig-width="3000"><img src="//40.media.tumblr.com/d321be002e115d0de36de1333798ede7/tumblr_inline_o21g2uX4Ew1qg2879_540.png" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" /></figure><figure class="tmblr-full" data-orig-height="428" data-orig-width="655"><img src="//40.media.tumblr.com/e2687797a694fd705b54d01cce95611e/tumblr_inline_o21g3v6mdl1qg2879_540.png" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" /></figure><figure class="tmblr-full" data-orig-height="162" data-orig-width="987"><img src="//40.media.tumblr.com/8823a8efc2c20ca3a45d68a1a401fbb2/tumblr_inline_o21g41k5AU1qg2879_540.png" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" /></figure><p>This month, veteran Japanese sludgegaze crew <a href="http://borisheavyrocks.com/">Boris</a> are releasing their seventh collaboration with noise icon <a href="http://merzbow.net/">Merzbow</a>. What makes <i>Gensho</i> unique, however, is that it’s split between two CDs (or four pieces of vinyl), intended to be played simultaneously for some surround-sound <i>Zaireeka</i>-style brain-boggling. Boris’ disc features an array of classics from albums like 1998’s <i>Amplifier Worship</i> and 2005’s <i>Pink</i> performed in a euphoric, beat-free drone style alongside a cover of My Bloody Valentine’s “Sometimes.” Merzbow’s disc is, well, a Merzbow disc: 74 punishing minutes of squealing electronics and lyrical expressions of feedback. The listener is encouraged to enjoy them together or individually. </p><p>Relapse, who is releasing the album on March 18, has provided us with two individual YouTubes, so you can give the concept a whirl for yourself. Press play on both clips below and adjust the volume to your preferred level of abrasion.</p><p><a href="http://www.rollingstone.com/music/premieres/boris-with-merzbow-tinker-with-a-track-from-their-interactive-album-20160204">Click HERE to listen</a></p>US / THEM Grouptag:usthemgroup.com,2005:Post/37339522015-02-26T19:24:12-08:002015-06-08T23:57:48-07:00Boris Announces Live Noise Alive Australian Tour 2015<figure><img src="https://31.media.tumblr.com/e37e28a1b6d9bc75ea370dcec25c81d0/tumblr_inline_nkeqv3qE2s1qg2879.png" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="image" /></figure><figure><img src="https://31.media.tumblr.com/d91995493480e88ea0d66d6961efb290/tumblr_inline_nkeqvcRyUu1qg2879.png" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="image" /></figure><p><b><i>life is noise, by arrangement with Artist Voice, is pleased to announce the return of legendary Japanese noisemakers Boris to our shores for the “Live Noise Alive” Australian tour.</i></b></p><p>19 albums in 19 years. That’s the studio discography of one of the most significant and prolific bands to emerge from Japan’s noise scene. The number gets tricky once you start counting the trio’s punishing live documents or their myriad co-conspirators – the double-LP with drone lords Sunn O))), the numerous collaborations with master sound manipulator Merzbow or the one-offs with the likes of Ian Astbury, Torche and Doomriders – all of which have put <a href="http://borisheavyrocks.com">Boris</a> at the forefront of the conversation about noise and doom in the last two decades.</p><blockquote><div><b>Boris are in the unexpected position of building a lasting legacy beyond that of almost any other band currently in their field. – The Quietus</b></div></blockquote><p>Boris are the very definition of a power trio: resourceful, ruthlessly efficient, chaotic yet measured and always astonishingly powerful. The group’s longevity is owed to a restless innovative spirit and a total disregard for convention and expectation that’s allowed the three to conjure a tremendous array of sounds across their vast back catalogue. From the Melvins-inspired sludge of their early releases to the droning meditations of their opus <i>Flood</i> to the riotous fury of the critically acclaimed <i>Pink</i>, Boris are a band with no intent on retreading the winding path they’ve left behind them.</p><blockquote><div><b>Boris never met a subgenre they couldn’t blow out. – Spin</b></div></blockquote><p>That restlessness carries over to their off-stage practice too. Few bands work as hard both in the studio and on the road as Boris, and few bands can boast tenures with three of the most important metal labels since the turn of the century, but Boris can, with stints at Hydra Head, Southern Lord and now <a href="http://sargenthouse.com">Sargent House</a> to their name, alongside a list of peers that reads like a who’s who of experimental heavy music in the modern era.</p><blockquote><div><b>There’s a very thin line between repetition and hypnotism. Boris walks that line. – Sputnik Music</b></div></blockquote><p>Boris last visited our shores three years ago, playing <i>Flood</i> in full for the first time on Australian soil, but they’ve never been a band content to run a victory lap and coast on their reputation. Since 2012 they’ve released three records: the conclusion to their hypnotic Solomon series, 2013’s dense and sludgy <i>Präparat</i> and last year’s <i>Noise</i>, an ambitious release as diverse as it is loud, with flourishes of crust punk, stoner metal, droning ambience and uplifting melodies at every turn.</p><blockquote><div><b>The drone was endless, blurring the line between what is music and what is noise, only temporarily providing a definitive answer when sludge riffs would bubble to the surface. – Cvlt Nation</b></div></blockquote><p>Boris live is a daunting prospect – a mesmerizing display of virtuosity, meditation and punishing volume best experienced in front of the stage. Bring your earplugs.</p><p><b>Boris “Live Noise Alive” Australian Tour 2015</b></p><p>May 27 - Brisbane @ Crowbar<br>May 29 - Sydney @ Newtown Social Club<br>May 30 - Melbourne @ Corner Hotel<br>May 31 - Adelaide @ Fowler’s Live<br>Jun 1 - Perth @ Rosemount Hotel</p><p>Tickets and more info available <a href="http://artistdata.sonicbids.com/boris/shows">HERE</a>.</p>US / THEM Grouptag:usthemgroup.com,2005:Post/37339532014-08-04T16:47:00-07:002015-06-08T23:57:48-07:00Terrorizer Magazine Interview: Boris<p><img src="https://31.media.tumblr.com/3a3b537055f4de2b4156ea6929b554f4/tumblr_inline_n9t39g7V6G1qg2879.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="image" /><img src="https://31.media.tumblr.com/8f61fcd5ffafae7f6c54ba8eb695f76a/tumblr_inline_n9t3a09BMg1qg2879.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="image" /></p>
<p><a href="http://artistdata.com/boris/shows" target="_blank">Boris is currently on tour - Click HERE to see all dates<br><img src="https://31.media.tumblr.com/c38d232d0cb431afa001fc315d9e6a07/tumblr_inline_n9t3emkD3K1qg2879.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="image" /></a></p>
<p></p>
<p><em>With their new album ‘<a href="http://boris.bandcamp.com" target="_blank">Noise</a>’, Japanese doom mavericks <a href="http://sargenthouse.com/Boris" target="_blank"><strong>Boris</strong></a> have managed to combine the melodic, poppy approach of their recent work with the crushing weight of their earlier, heavier material. <strong>Jonathan Dick</strong> caught up with the band to find out how they did it, and caught a fascinating glimpse into the trio’s creative process…</em></p>
<p>The fact that Boris take their name from a Melvins song has proved itself to be a more than appropriate connection between two bands whose sound has become as well known for being unpredictable and difficult to categorize as it has for being influential to a number of artists and bands from an incredibly wide range of styles. In their twenty-two years of existence as a band, the Boris sound has mutated from the band’s earliest days with experimental noise to the more pop balanced stylings of their recent releases. Though each of their nineteen releases, including this year’s excellent ‘Noise’, are inherently different from each other with the trio of Atsuo (drums/vocals), Wata (guitar/keyboards/vocals), and Takeshi (bass/guitar/lead vocals) as resistant as ever to anything but change – the band’s central musical theme is still unwaveringly set on loud. It’s a commonality that finds the band again sharing the same aesthetic stage with their namesake who, for all their genre bending, will always be an immovable force in the realm of the loud and the heavy.</p>
<p><strong><!-- more -->What was it that initially attracted you to music? Was there a specific song or band from your youth that worked as that first creative spark for you?</strong><br> Takeshi (T): “In my childhood I was into theme songs from TV cartoon animation as well as general Japanese pop music TV shows. When I was at junior high school I listened to new wave or techno pop too, then my friend’s brother introduced me heavy metal and punk rock. That was shocking to me like “Oh my god, I didn’t know there is cool stuff like this, I want to be in a band to play that music!” This was the beginning, since then I’ve been absorbed in that kind of music and try to look for harder and faster stuff.”</p>
<p>Atsuo (A): “Same as Takeshi, I was into TV cartoon songs and general Japanese pop music too. My first song that worked as my first creative sparks was “New Rose” by The Damned.”</p>
<p>Wata (W): “I had taken piano lessons ever since I could remember but didn’t like practice at all. Maybe around 12 years old, I saw some band play and thought it looked so fun, especially guitar player looked so cool, that made me feel I wanted to play guitar. Saving money for a guitar, looking for members, practicing… it took a very long time to move forward. At last members and I could make, it was so fun and thrilling.”</p>
<p><strong>Boris has been a band now for over twenty years, and the band’s sound has never truly settled into one place for very long during that time. How have you personally seen the band evolve from a creative standpoint over the years?</strong><br> T: “Of course we had a particular sound and a certain goal that we have aimed for at one point, though now we are just an epicurean of sound basically, pursuing our ideal and fresh stimulation of sound and music and keep going. Things that we want to achieve are so many and we never catch up, at the same time there are many things that we can’t achieve even though we try to. That’s tardy and a shame to us. However our tardiness can be a kind of our driving force too, because then it leads to lots of music that sounds so weird in general. To look back our history I feel we haven’t changed a bit since before.”</p>
<p><strong>What’s been the most rewarding part of Boris’ journey so far for you? Conversely, what’s been the greatest challenge for the band so far?</strong><br> T: “Obviously, everyone who supports us. Fans, listeners, all bands that played with, our tour crews, labels, promoters, too many to mention. Since day one of Boris in the ’90s, we have met lots of people and still kept in touch with them, not only that our relationship has been improving and spread even more widely. It is surprising and incredible that there are so many people who support a weird band like us from Japan in the Far East, those people are enabling us to tour, to release new music worldwide, and they are showing us new opportunities to work on. Our accomplishment has been improving day by day.”</p>
<p><strong>Has the eclecticism in sound that’s so singular to Boris ever been a creative point of frustration for the band? That is, with such a multitude of influences and ideas coming into the studio, how does the band focus in on one particular sound or direction, and what does that initial creative process look like for Boris?</strong><br> T: “We don’t work in a process of the so-called ‘composing’. We just record what we are jamming in studio, sometimes we record an initial rough idea of melody with Voice Memo then we expand it. During the process of expansion of those elements, music will lead us where they would like to go or how they want to be in particular tone and sound. We have never felt a frustration with a song writing process at all. Only if we have to decide which record is the best for that song.”</p>
<p><strong>As the band has aged, have you found yourselves valuing certain aspects of your creative process and working together that you didn’t necessarily recognize or appreciate in the beginning?</strong><br> T: “Maybe ‘vocal’? In fact I didn’t have any awareness of being a singer at all, nor haven’t I had any specific direct and political/social message in our song since Boris started. However, like what I mentioned above, I have to ‘sing’ more than ‘scream’ in order to shape songs as it should be, because songs require that. Of course I don’t deny what I have been influenced with for years, and you can hear some habit of vocal style and melody to compare with.”</p>
<p>A: “Personally I think Takeshi’s voice fits the current music direction of Boris perfectly. His tasteless/odourless vocal style is something like our advantage.”</p>
<p><strong>‘Noise’ retains a lot of the heavier sounds of early Boris but also has the balance of the more pop-oriented material the band has more recently produced. As Boris is a band that’s just as readily given their creative energy to pop as they have to what’s considered extreme music, do you see pop music as being just as conducive for experimentation as any other genre?</strong><br> T: “Whatever you think about it, ‘pop’ always appears out of our trial on an unconscious level, both for melody and riffs. Even though we play heavy stuff, it just ‘appears’ unconsciously. Sometimes I’ve felt uncomfortable with it, though I can deal with it naturally now. Well, I am not sure that pop music is conducive for experimentation but that is what we have been influenced by.”</p>
<p><strong>Boris have obviously seen their fanbase greatly increase since 1992. I’m curious to know as music fans, though, what changes you’ve personally observed with regards to experimentation in music over the years. Are listeners more receptive to change now than they were twenty-two years ago, or is the terminology we use to define music simply changing?</strong><br> A: “Our sound and songs that we have made lead us accordingly and they encourage us to see any changes as a positive thing, which has never changed since our early age. Not only words that define music but also music history is updated day by day. In this situation new music that doesn’t have any context of music history is born actually. We can fit both music with or without context, so our fans are definitely receptive and capable.”</p>
<p><strong>Do you see a great deal of disparity between the audiences of Western culture and those of the Japanese culture?</strong><br> T: “We do actually, we have a language barrier and a major disparity between the Western world and Japanese culture that we encounter when touring especially. However, we can deal with it better with music as mutual language and common understanding. Due to the Internet things are getting easier ,and I won’t feel any time difference between Western country and here at all. Automatic translation works way better than before too.”</p>
<p>A: “Japan is still in a ‘closed-door policy’. Surrounded by a one-way mirror.”</p>
<p><strong>It often seems that Western culture is hesitant to reward or support its artists and musicians, and I’m curious to know if it’s a similar or quite different situation in Japan.</strong><br> T: “Well, I am feeling Western countries and culture are way more supportive than Japanese. In general touring operation works much better than Japan has, Western people seem to be more open-minded to art and music.”</p>
<p>W: “I agree, Western countries have a better environment and culture for art and music.”</p>
<p>A: “That’s what I have been thinking.”</p>
<p><strong>You guys have touring plans ahead of you and festival dates as well. What lies ahead for Boris in 2014 and what are you looking forward to the most?</strong><br> T: “Boris will tour US in July and August, then in Japan in September. We are working on a plan in UK and Europe right now and going to announce it as soon as it confirms. We’ve very much looking forward to seeing you very soon!”</p>
<p><strong>Words:</strong> Jonathan Dick</p>
<p><em>‘Noise’ is available now via <a class="external" href="http://sargenthouse.com" target="_blank">Sargent House</a></em></p>
<p><em>You can find Boris on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/borisheavyrocks?fref=ts" target="_blank">Facebook</a>.</em></p>US / THEM Grouptag:usthemgroup.com,2005:Post/37339542014-07-09T14:51:35-07:002015-06-08T23:57:48-07:00Boris US Noise Tour begins July 24th - Drumless Drone Set Show added in NY <p><iframe frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/z-qpsA6Znpk?rel=0" width="500"></iframe></p>
<p><a href="http://sargenthouse.com/Boris" target="_blank">Boris</a> begin their headline tour across America in support of their newly released album <a href="http://boris.bandcamp.com" target="_blank">Noise</a> starting on July 24th in San Diego and ending at the already Sold Out <a href="http://fyffest.com/" target="_blank">FYF Fest </a>in Los Angeles on August 23rd. They have also just announced a special NY show at <a href="http://www.ticketfly.com/event/627479" target="_blank">Saint Vitus</a> that will be a drumless drone set on August 4th the day after their traditional set that they will play in NY at <a href="http://www.ticketmaster.com/boris-new-york-new-york-08-03-2014/event/00004C88E375FC78?brand=boweryballroom" target="_blank">Bowery Ballroom</a> on August 3rd. <br><br><a href="http://artistdata.sonicbids.com/boris/shows" target="_blank">See ALL Boris Tour Dates, Ticket Links and Details HERE </a><br><strong><br>BORIS “Live Noise Alive Tour 2014”</strong><br> 07/24 San Diego, CA @ Casbah !!<br> 07/25 Phoenix, AZ @ The Crescent Ballroom !!<br> 07/26 Tucson, AZ @ Club Congress !!<br> 07/28 Dallas, TX @ Trees ++<br> 07/29 Austin, TX @ The Mohawk ++<br> 07/31 Atlanta, GA @ Terminal West ** &<br> 08/01 Carrboro, NC @ Cat’s Cradle ** &<br> 08/02 Washington, DC @ 930 Club ** &<br> 08/03 New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom ** &<br>08/04 Brooklyn, NY @ Saint Vitus (‘drumless drone set’)<br> 08/05 Boston, MA @ Paradise ** &<br> 08/07 Toronto, ON @ Lee’s Palace ** &<br> 08/08 Buffalo, NY @ Tralf ** &<br> 08/09 Detroit, MI @ Magic Stick ** &<br> 08/10 Chicago, IL @ Bottom Lounge ** &<br> 08/11 Milwaukee, WI @ Turner Hall ** &<br> 08/12 Minneapolis, MN @ Triple Rock Social Club ** &<br> 08/14 Missoula, MT @ Stage 112 &<br> 08/15 Spokane, WA @ Big Dipper ^<br> 08/16 Seattle, WA @ The Crocodile #^<br> 08/17 Vancouver, BC @ Rickshaw Theatre #^<br> 08/18 Portland, OR @ Doug Fir Lounge #^<br> 08/20 San Francisco, CA @ The Independent #<br> 08/21 Santa Cruz, CA @ The Catalyst Atrium #<br> 08/22 San Luis Obispo, CA @ SLO Brew #<br> 08/23 Los Angeles, CA @ FYF Fest</p>
<p>!! w/ Mustard Gas & Roses<br> ++ w/ Ceremony & Nothing<br> ** w/ The Atlas Moth<br> & w/ SubRosa<br> ^ w/ Master Musicians of Bukkake<br> # w/ <a href="http://sargenthouse.com/Marriages" target="_blank">Marriages</a></p>
<p><em>Noise</em> is out now via <a href="http://sargenthouse.com" target="_blank">Sargent House<br></a><a href="http://boris.hellomerch.com" target="_blank">Order <em>Noise</em></a> on Vinyl or CD here</p>US / THEM Grouptag:usthemgroup.com,2005:Post/37339552014-06-20T15:33:21-07:002015-06-08T23:57:48-07:00The Quietus Interview: Boris<p><a href="http://thequietus.com/articles/15561-boris-interview" target="_blank"><img src="https://31.media.tumblr.com/7b8b5f0d2aa4c90c27204ef2105c8046/tumblr_inline_n7hnrlbQiA1qg2879.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" /><img src="https://31.media.tumblr.com/36bd35213144a5d127f4983a0827cf28/tumblr_inline_n7hnrtAh231qg2879.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" /></a></p>
<p><a href="http://thequietus.com/articles/15561-boris-interview" target="_blank"><img src="https://31.media.tumblr.com/ad9ca53e09ac2790c40f077079308fe0/tumblr_inline_n7hnsqTwtQ1qg2879.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" /></a></p>
<p>"I like speaking to young people." It’s odd to hear Atsuo speaking English after over an hour of him answering questions in Japanese through a translator. "I want to speak to everybody!" He’s reiterating the point made most salient throughout our chat, which wound up going on even longer than one of the group’s monolithic album-length songs: Boris are in the unexpected position of building a lasting legacy beyond that of almost any other band currently in their field. Drummer Atsuo, the only member to have a conversational level of English, has always been the spokesperson for Boris, but that’s changed now. Guitarists Takeshi and Wata have to be part of the conversation as well - after all, it’s their legacy too.<br><!-- more --></p>
<p>The group are about to release their nineteenth studio album in eighteen years, and the body of work already behind them is truly staggering. Although still most closely associated with the Earth-like doom of <em>Absolutego</em> (released back in 1996, when Greg Anderson and Stephen O’Malley were barely putting out demo tapes for Thorr’s Hammer and Burning Witch), Boris have since taken on and incorporated countless additional styles in the studio. Album number two back in 1998, <em>Amplifier Worship</em>, mixed trippy jams and gentle interludes into the sludge, their two <em>Heavy Rocks</em> albums were imbued with high-energy acid rock, <em>Pink</em> and <em>Smile</em> both rode far-reaching walls of shoegazing psych, <em>Vein</em> melded crust punk with outright noise, <em>Flood</em> ascended into space-reaching ambience, and <em>New Album</em> and <em>Attention Please</em> both toyed with J-Pop tropes and radio-friendly choruses.<br>Anyone who has seen the band live will know that the three distinct personalities within Boris are what drive the dynamic. Atsuo is the id of the group, acting on base instinct, yelling and screaming with lustful joy from behind his drums throughout. He’s the first to stand and shake my hand, and the first I recognise, having helped crowd-surf him back over the barriers from the front row of the Boris gig only the night before at London’s Desertfest. Bassist/guitarist/vocalist Takeshi acts as something of a Freudian ego, rooting all aspects of the group sound, and seamlessly switching from rumbling nimble bass lines to far-reaching sludge guitar drones on his unmissable double neck. His greeting bow is the deepest, his expression the most intense.</p>
<p>This leaves lead guitarist Wata as the superego, guiding the furious Atsuo while spurring on the more meditative Takeshi with a psychedelic axe mastery that goes beyond any and all of her contemporaries. She gives a quiet smile as we greet. It’s perhaps her input that’s most helped to propel Boris’ multi-faceted and prolific career. Without her wailing solos and sodden ambient echoes (she’s often in fact credited as playing both guitar and ‘echo’, her effects unit visible next to her on stage), Boris could well have been ‘just another sludge band’ (albeit a very, <em>very</em> good one). This kind of three-way symbiosis is rarely seen anywhere, and it’s crucial to a group that, despite going sonically further than most symphony orchestras, still remain a headbanging power trio in their heart of hearts.<br><br></p>
<p><strong>Thanks you so much for the gig yesterday, it was really great. Did you get to see any of the other bands playing at Desertfest?</strong></p>
<p>Boris: You’re welcome! Yeah, we saw Church of Misery.</p>
<p><strong>What did you think?</strong></p>
<p>B: We always love it when we meet other Japanese bands in other countries too, it makes us really happy and they were really excellent too.</p>
<p><strong>So, what is the world of Boris all about?</strong></p>
<p>B: It’s indescribable. normally a human can’t sense all of what they truly are, and so we can’t sense all of Boris. I think we’re definitely one of the hardest bands in the world to define, in any case.</p>
<p><strong>How did the new album, <em>Noise</em>, come together? It’s got an even broader range of styles than normal.</strong></p>
<p>B: Before the <em>Noise</em> album, we’ve normally made music under quite a lot of pressure - we’d actually put it on ourselves while recording. But this time, it’s been quite relaxed. It all just came naturally for once.</p>
<p><strong>So many Boris albums have been collaborations. How do you make the decision to work with someone else?</strong></p>
<p>B: There’s actually been even more different ideas for collaborations, but when we <em>do</em> decide to collaborate, it all happens pretty easily. It normally comes together through friendship, and we just work with people we know already.</p>
<p><strong>How did you three meet back in the early 90s? Did you like the same sort of music?</strong></p>
<p>B: We all met at university in Tokyo. We were all in different bands at first, but we all knew this guy, the original drummer for Boris, and we tried to make a band just for him. So we got together and formed Boris, but then he left! That’s when the Boris you now know was fully formed.</p>
<p><strong>Are you originally from Tokyo then?</strong></p>
<p>Atsuo: No. Wata’s from Hiroshima, Takeshi’s from Shisō, and I’m from Gifu [all in the west of the largest island of Honshu].</p>
<p><strong>What was the scene like that Boris first came from? The first recordings are quite sludgy with elements of hardcore punk - was there a lot of that in Tokyo at the time?</strong></p>
<p>B: It was really chaotic! Lots of alternative bands were upcoming at the time. There were a lot of hardcore punk bands and metal bands and so on, but a few like us were trying to meld all those genres together. The scene was really trying to change around the time we started.</p>
<p><strong>Were you aware of all the stuff that went on in Tokyo before this time, in the the 80s or even 70s, in venues like the Shinjuku Loft with bands like Marble Sheep, or Fushitsusha?</strong></p>
<p>B: All that psychedelic stuff? Actually no, not at all really! We tried not to be too into any one particular genre. It was like a new generation was coming up at the time blending stuff together, all after that psychedelic thing.</p>
<p><strong><em>Absolutego</em> is still something of a landmark album. What did the band sound like at the very start? How did you end up with that one long, slow, heavy track for your debut?</strong></p>
<p>B: [Long pause as entire band thinks] Earth… and Melvins - particularly <em>Lysol</em>. But at the time we were really into hardcore, and had so many friends in hardcore punk bands, so we were definitely comfortable with really loud volumes.</p>
<p><strong>But how did it get so <em>slow</em>?</strong></p>
<p>B: [All three giggle and mime holding a guitar] Buuuuummmm! We just thought it was really cool, holding those notes and feedbacking from the amp!</p>
<p><strong>Were there any other bands droning like this in Tokyo at the time?</strong></p>
<p>B: Only Boris. Nobody else knew about Melvins or Earth. In fact, Atsuo was the first person in Japan to ever interview Melvins.</p>
<p><strong>How did you discover these bands at the time?</strong></p>
<p>Atsuo: There’s an old local record shop back in Tokyo that I used to work in, called Warsaw. I picked up a lot of these things by just digging through records there.</p>
<p><strong>You’ve worked a lot with Merzbow - did you listen to him a lot before you played with him?</strong></p>
<p>B: Well we already liked Merzbow. The opportunity to collaborate with him came up as part of this thing where [Osakan doom metal band] Corrupted were playing live with Solmania, both representing the Kansai region, while Merzbow and us played live representing the Kantō region. So the first time we played together was live actually.</p>
<p><strong>How did that collaboration work? Is it all improvised? How does that music happen?</strong></p>
<p>B: Sometimes it was all improvised; sometimes we prepared compositions, which we would then present to him [Merzbow]. It depends on the situation really.</p>
<p><strong>The collaboration between Boris and Michio Kurihara seemed to be quite a natural one. How did he integrate with the band?</strong></p>
<p>B: Well, we know him as we share the same recording studio with him! Michio Kurihara used to be in a band called YBO2 that we really, really liked, as well as Stars, and we could really see something in those bands of his that we could work with. That’s how <em>Rainbow</em> came together, and after that came out we toured together for a long time. We’d been pegged as a ‘metal’ band for so long in foreign countries that it seemed throwing Michio Kurihara in there would really make things interesting, and help listeners see a different side of Boris.</p>
<p><strong>Wata, you’ve developed a signature guitar sound over the years, and it sounds more and more like Michio Kurihara’s own incredible tones. Did he have a role in this change? Did you learn from him?</strong></p>
<p>Wata: I definitely learned a lot from him. How he uses echo for one thing. The way to express using guitar tones is something I’ve worked on too, and he’s a master at that. He can play exactly the same melody as somebody else, but imbue it with a completely different meaning. We really try to play <em>together</em> as a group, but sometimes everybody can’t help but put their own meaning into what’s being played.</p>
<p>Atsuo [speaking English]: We try one way; but actually, four way.</p>
<p><strong>So what sort of attention do you get in Japan? Has it grown at all since <em>New Album</em>, <em>Attention Please</em> and <em>Heavy Rocks</em> came out?</strong></p>
<p>B: We caused quite a lot of confusion in Japan with those albums! Actually <em>New Album</em> was the only one of those three to get a domestic [Japanese] release - the others were imported from America. <em>New Album</em> was definitely pretty poppy for us though. The versions of the songs on <em>New Album</em> had totally different post-production to the other versions, from a Japanese producer called Shinobu Narita, who gave them a totally different sound - our Japanese fans got really confused!</p>
<p><strong>After an album with that poppier sound, are you ‘bigger’ now in Japan?</strong></p>
<p>B: Gradually, our number of fans is always going up.</p>
<p>Atsuo [speaking in English]: Very slow! [laughs]</p>
<p><strong>The song, ‘Taiyo no Baka’ from the latest album, <em>Noise</em> is possibly your poppiest-sounding to date. It’s almost got some form of hit potential! But then it’s immediately followed by the slow-building 19-minute epic, ‘Angel’. Are you worried about making music that could sound like it has mainstream potential?</strong></p>
<p>B: [All three laugh at the idea of having ‘hit potential’] We’ve had some people say that that song shouldn’t even be on the album, but then others really like it - it’s an interesting one for us too. At the same time though, we’d never try and sell an air conditioner in the Antarctic! We’re not forcing anything, these pop-sounding songs; it’s whatever comes naturally to Boris at the time.</p>
<p><strong>Your music’s now been featured in two television ads in Japan. One for a 3DS /PS vita game (<em>Zero Escape: Virtue’s Last Reward</em> or <em>Kyokugen Dasshutsu Adobenchā: Zennin Shibō Desu</em>), and the other for the Miki Corp diamond dealership. Which songs were used for the adverts, and was it a difficult decision to say yes to them?</strong></p>
<p>B: They’re both still unreleased tunes, never before on an album. They’ll both be released on the bonus disc with the Japanese version of <em>Noise</em> this year though. And it wasn’t hard at all to say yes to them. It’s like design work - an artist can make something <em>for</em> a company and it can be very fulfilling and interesting. It’s never a difficult decision to say yes to collaboration, even if it’s with a company. If you put your ego first, and you limit yourself and say no to these things it’s probably worse.</p>
<p><strong>What do you think about the current state of Japan? You’ve been all over the world now, so you’ve got something to compare it to… would you ever live somewhere else?</strong></p>
<p>B: The history of bands playing live in Japan isn’t anything like as long and established as that of Japan. So it’s really great to play there - audiences are still not so used to live music, and they can still be surprised.</p>
<p><strong>Too many people listening to [Japanese girl group] AKB48?</strong></p>
<p>B: Yeah - you don’t actually have to <em>be there</em> for an AKB48 gig, there’s nothing spontaneous.</p>
<p><strong>So in Japan the whole ‘idol’ thing is still huge, you have huge domestic bands like AKB48 or B’z [the best selling Japanese band in history]. What influence does this side of Japanese music culture have on Boris? Are idols a good thing?</strong></p>
<p>B: Well AKB48 and B’z is all just manufactured music. It’s great that people enjoy it and that it’s built to fit people’s needs, but then again it prevents lots of underground bands from getting heard. But sometimes we do think about making Boris as accessible as possible, aiming it at all listeners of all types - it’s just about how you do that.</p>
<p>The two worlds can be closer than you think too, though. By coincidence, Wata’s older brother is in fact the tour manager for B’z! Plus, the producer for <em>Noise</em> also does production for an idol group called Fudanjuku - an all-girl group that always wear [<em>our translator looks very confused</em>] ‘man costumes’.</p>
<p><strong>Bands from Japan have become increasingly important to the underground music scene over here in recent years, particularly since the internet made it easier to discover old albums by Keiji Haino, Les Rallizes Denudes, You Ishihara, etc. What makes Japanese musicians so especially good at this sort of rock music?</strong></p>
<p>B: We have so many shit bands too! You’ve just only heard of the good ones. There’s not even really that many psychedelic bands really - the same as anywhere else - people are just good at picking up the good ones. The market for metal music’s actually pretty small and undeveloped though.</p>
<p><strong>The culture in general could be seen as quite ‘psychedelic’, though? Even mainstream music, like Kyary Pamyu Pamyu, is massively psychedelic.</strong></p>
<p>B: Yeah, so I guess that has filtered down and helped us produce good psychedelic rock, and made it more accepted. The music is really confusing in Japan!</p>
<p><strong>I’ve been to Tokyo, and the range of sound in the city is quite striking. The constant tinkling of pachinko machines, adverts and arcades can become the calm empty back streets or a silent bar in moments. What effect has Tokyo’s soundscape had on the band?</strong></p>
<p>B: This sort of consistent noise is definitely a vital part of the Japanese psyche, and it’s been a big influence on us. Noise is a vital part of the Japanese mentality, particularly when making music. Noise is Japanese blues.</p>
<p><strong>Of all Boris’ albums, <em>Flood</em> is still my favourite. Could you tell me a bit about how that album happened?</strong></p>
<p>B: At the time of <em>Flood</em> we were still recording using analogue systems - open reel - so we could only record fifteen minutes at a time. We’d then transfer it to Pro Tools, which was still very basic at the time, and try to edit the pieces together to make the 70 minutes.</p>
<p><strong>Was the different sound of <em>Flood</em>, more melodic and gentler in comparison to your other albums at the time, a very conscious choice?</strong></p>
<p>B: We actually wanted to released <em>Heavy Rocks</em> [the 2002 album of that name] and <em>Flood</em> at the same time. But the situation with the labels meant we had to release them at different times. We were already trying to record pop songs, heavy songs, drone songs all at the same time though, even back then.</p>
<p><strong>Obviously I don’t know what the words in your songs are about. Take ‘Flood’ for example: what’s that about?</strong></p>
<p>B: The word for ‘flood’ in Japanese is kōzui [kor-zoo-ee]. The whole piece is basically sung for the landscape <em>after</em> the ‘flood’, it’s a search for the landscape as it was before, still somewhere under the water. In general though, the actual meaning of the words isn’t so important, but their mere existence definitely is important for the music. We don’t have any particular message in our lyrics really. They’re just part of the music, whatever sounds right. We just purely want to make music.</p>
<p><strong>What’s been the most challenging album to write and record? <em>Vein</em> sounds like it took a lot of physical effort, while <em>Attention Please</em> is so detailed.</strong></p>
<p>B: Well <em>Vein</em> only actually took about seven hours to finish! So that was probably the easiest one. We’ve sort of revisited the style of <em>Vein</em> with the track ‘Quicksilver’ from the new album.</p>
<p>Atsuo: I regret us writing that song. It’s too long!</p>
<p><strong>And the whole way through you’re pounding away at full speed!</strong></p>
<p>Atsuo: And we’re just about to embark on a full-length tour of America too. Playing it every night.</p>
<p><strong>So which was hardest then?</strong></p>
<p>We never find it ‘hard’ like that. We only do what feels right. Maybe <em>Noise</em> was actually the easiest. We just play what we can play, and record what feels right. We don’t feel as if we’re making something.</p>
<p><strong>What do you think about Great Britain, then?</strong></p>
<p>Well, the hot water and cold water come out of separate taps here. We found that quite surprising.</p>
<p>Atsuo: I’m a vegan, so the food scene here’s actually really good for me. There’s not much for vegans to eat in Japan.</p>
<p>Takeshi: I had a pub lunch today too - it was excellent!</p>
<p><strong>You’ve worked with so many incredible musicians - Keiji Haino, Michio Kurihara and You Ishihara, Ai Aso.</strong></p>
<p>Atsuo [interrupting, speaking English]: Did you see the Ai Aso show?</p>
<p><strong>No, missed it! She wrote lyrics for Boris I believe.</strong></p>
<p>Atsuo: Yeah, yeah, yeah she did. Her show is so… wow! So terrifying! Horrific! My heartbeat almost stopped during the show. She looks inviting, but see her live, and you will feel horror.</p>
<p><strong>So who else would Boris most like to work with?</strong></p>
<p>B: We never really had someone we <em>wanted</em> to work with like that. We were just friends and it happened. Would you like to collaborate with us?</p>
<p><em>Boris’ new album </em><a href="http://boris.bandcamp.com" target="_blank">Noise</a><em> is out now</em></p>US / THEM Grouptag:usthemgroup.com,2005:Post/37339562014-06-20T10:00:24-07:002020-11-11T02:34:54-08:00BORIS & MERZBOW live broadcast from Tokyo on June 24 via Boilerroom.tv<p><img src="https://31.media.tumblr.com/8be49d7fa74f59d4591487f50554909e/tumblr_inline_n74ke3Zw8a1qbzv4w.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="image" /></p>
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<p><a href="http://boilerroom.tv/session/tokyo-x-dommune-boris-merzbow/" target="_blank">Boiler Room and Dommune</a> are teaming up for a seriously rare show. We’re bringing together the mighty <a href="https://www.facebook.com/borisheavyrocks?ref=hl" target="_blank">Boris</a>, arguably Japan’s most successful hard rock band of the past 15 years, with boundary-pushing experimental wizard <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Merzbow/111651298851889?fref=ts" target="_blank">Merzbow</a>; both critical darlings and serious concert draws. <a href="http://sargenthouse.com/Boris" target="_blank">Boris</a> will be performing a drum less drone set. <br><br><a href="http://boilerroom.tv/session/tokyo-x-dommune-boris-merzbow/" target="_blank">Click HERE for info on times and streaming of this special broadcast. </a><br>Dommune is in many ways the beating heart of Japan’s progressive approach to combining music and technology. Since 2010 the venue, which boasts one of the foremost sound systems in the world (let alone Tokyo), has played host to weekday broadcasts, bringing hundreds of international DJs through the hallowed doors and streaming them across the globe – not a million miles from Boiler Room! The combination of cutting-edge electronic music and political dialogue, helmed by enigmatic founder Ukawa, has made Dommune renowned the world over.</p>
</div>US / THEM Grouptag:usthemgroup.com,2005:Post/37339572014-06-17T09:51:00-07:002015-06-08T23:57:48-07:00Noise released worldwide excluding Japan today <p><img src="https://31.media.tumblr.com/e79e100b44d37ffd68dfade37c0d5e6c/tumblr_inline_n7bmvzyyZj1qbzv4w.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="image" /><br><a href="http://sargenthouse.com/Boris" target="_blank">Boris</a>' <a href="http://boris.bandcamp.com" target="_blank"><em>Noise</em></a> was released worldwide today on <a href="http://sargenthouse.com" target="_blank">Sargent House / Sargent House Europe</a>. In Japan the album will be coming out on Tearbridge Records. <br><br>Noise is available on <a href="http://boris.hellomerch.com" target="_blank">Double LP vinyl (w/ Download Card) , CD</a> and digitally everywhere. There is also a <a href="https://t.co/azRjbFPhYr" target="_blank">Deluxe version that has 6 bonus live songs on Itunes</a>. <br><br><a href="http://boris.hellomerch.com" target="_blank">To order online the Vinyl or CD from Boris go HERE</a>.<br>The album can also be streamed and or downloaded in any file size on the bands digital site <a href="http://boris.bandcamp.com" target="_blank">HERE</a> <br><br>BORIS will be doing a full US Tour this Summer in support of the new album <a href="http://artistdata.com/boris/shows" target="_blank">SEE ALL TOUR DATES HERE</a> <br><br>The reviews are also starting to roll in, with a lot of great things being said about Noise…</p>
<p>“The Japanese trio have earned a seat at the pantheon of heaviness: the alchemy by which the act of listening to loud rock music is transformed into an encounter with the sublime.” – <strong><em><a href="http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/19300-boris-noise/">Pitchfork, Review [7.8]</a></em></strong></p>
<p>“The songs on <em>Noise </em>all fit nicely and naturally into a well-considered larger statement, making it one of Boris’ most captivating and all-encompassing efforts in their abundant and colorful oeuvre.” – <strong><a href="http://www.allmusic.com/album/noise-mw0002676124">All Music Guide, Review [4/5 - Editor’s choice]</a></strong></p>
<p> “Noise is all that makes Boris Boris, wrapped up in a Dark, alarmingly ear friendly package.” - <strong>Metal Hammer</strong>,<strong> Review [8/10]</strong><br><br> “Noise is perhaps one of their defining statements in that it combines every approach the band has adopted previously and combines them in one breathtaking record.” - <a href="http://www.musicomh.com/reviews/albums/boris-noise" target="_blank"><strong>MusicOMH</strong>,<strong> Review [4/5]</strong></a><br><br>”..<span> a staggering, cathartic masterpiece that won’t have much competition in terms of quality in 2014. If you’re new to Boris, take a chance on them – this is already my album of the year, and given one listen, there’s a chance it’ll become yours too.</span>" <a href="http://www.thelineofbestfit.com/reviews/albums/boris-noise" target="_blank"><strong> The Line Of Best Fit [8.5/10]</strong></a></p>US / THEM Grouptag:usthemgroup.com,2005:Post/37339582014-06-17T09:50:12-07:002015-06-08T23:57:48-07:00Pitchfork Album Review: Boris "Noise"<p><a href="http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/19300-boris-noise/" target="_blank"><img src="https://31.media.tumblr.com/2cf3d1ad87c845129794ca73f5f6e5da/tumblr_inline_n7bnqrFnTn1qbzv4w.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="image" /><img src="https://31.media.tumblr.com/c4156f996c9ca1d337eecffe16231c77/tumblr_inline_n7bnr4Qek41qbzv4w.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="image" /></a></p>
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<p class="p1">Shortly before the halfway point of “Angel”, the eighteen-minute centerpiece of <a href="http://pitchfork.com/artists/620-boris/" target="_blank">Boris</a>’ latest record, the band’s guitarist Wata chases after God. The instrument of her noble pursuit is an extravagant, elegiac solo: her axe weeps and wails like a professional mourner, eventually tearing the surrounding space asunder to allow everything—the dark and the light, the leaden and the featherweight—to rush in. It’s this sensation that’s earned the Japanese trio a seat at the pantheon of heaviness: this alchemy by which the act of listening to loud rock music is transformed into an encounter with the sublime.</p>
<p class="p1"><!-- more -->A self-proclaimed “noise” band renowned for <a href="http://pitchfork.com/artists/2736-melvins/" target="_blank">Melvins</a>-style sludge and <a href="http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/11696-at-last-feedbacker-sun-baked-snow-cave-with-merzbow-akuma-no-uta/" target="_blank">Merzbow collaborations</a>, Boris excel at playing around with magnitudes. But they’re sneakier than they appear: their true calling card isn’t brute force, but carefully calculated punishment. <span>The patient approach that Boris took on 2000’s </span><em>Flood</em><span>indicated that</span><span>they’d rather have listeners climb the summit slowly, stopping to admire the pretty scenery up to the moment that they hit the precipice and tumble into a free-fall. With the release of their new LP </span><em>Noise,</em><span> all of the panoramas the band has crafted over the past two decades<span>—stoner rock, shoegaze, ambient, pop</span>—have coalesced into one massive, smoldering landscape</span><em>. </em>E<span>ighteen-minute mammoths stride alongside sprightly two-minute cuts, thrash metal pops up out of nowhere to stick a shiv in post-rock’s back. Imposing, insane, and all-over-the-place: in other words, par for Boris’ course.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><em>Noise </em>boasts one of the most engaging openers on a Boris album to date: the haunting, and disarmingly catchy “Melody”. The persistent downward pull of the guitars creates a grungy line of tension that the band is all too willing to exploit. Ever wonder what it would sound like if <a href="http://pitchfork.com/artists/1682-garbage/" target="_blank">Garbage</a> went avant? Wonder no more: through smooth harmonies and even smoother production, Boris replicates the blueprint of slick alternative rock and then some, both on “Melody” and its craggier cousin “Vanilla”. On the other hand, the limp “wo-oah”s and recycled wasted-youth tropes of “Taiyo no Baka” present irrefutable proof that Boris aren’t cut out for pop.</p>
<p class="p1">Between the rabid hardcore of the nine-minute “Quicksilver” and the slow, steady suffocation of “Heavy Rain”, fans of <a href="http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/1185-pink/"><em>Pink </em></a>and <a href="http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/15460-attention-please-heavy-rocks/"><em>Heavy Rocks </em></a>will most likely find something to enjoy on <em>Noise</em>. That said, there’s a fine line between drone and fatigue, and at times, Boris get bogged down by the latter on many of the longer songs. Delicate as it may be, even the the final portion of “Angel” can’t help but feel like a slog when it features several minutes of insignificant repetition. </p>
<p class="p1">To listeners who are intimidated by the prospect of leaping into the band’s extensive discography<em>, </em><em>Noise</em> provides a better incentive: as both look back and a step forward, it serves as a possible gateway album, and more intriguingly, it hints at a new chapter in the band’s chameleonic career through which all their scattered points of reference might operate in beautiful, deadly unison.</p>
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</div>US / THEM Grouptag:usthemgroup.com,2005:Post/37339592014-06-11T18:33:58-07:002015-06-08T23:57:48-07:00
Trying to define the sound of Tokyo-based experimental trio Boris is like asking someone their...<p><a href="http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2014/06/10/music/boris-sums-up-its-sonic-spectrum-with-noise/#.U5kBQ7EXKbg" target="_blank"><img src="https://31.media.tumblr.com/2d81b2b62cd2cfe1edfe73c6c7f12b03/tumblr_inline_n71805uOeG1qbzv4w.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" /></a><img src="https://31.media.tumblr.com/c3901e458f3ed36fea9f2f42fda6ab24/tumblr_inline_n7180iPVdq1qbzv4w.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" /><img src="https://31.media.tumblr.com/e2a990372f131f4588448d08346afa7b/tumblr_inline_n7180tbV541qbzv4w.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" /></p>
<p>Trying to define the sound of Tokyo-based experimental trio <a href="http://sargenthouse.com/Boris" target="_blank">Boris</a> is like asking someone their favorite kind of music. It’s everything, it’s nothing in particular … it’s definitely not country.</p>
<p>“I think our music is built on top of an American rock legacy, but our experience within Japanese culture has sort of seeped through the cracks,” says Boris drummer and vocalist Atsuo. “Only people who have been to Japan — and have spent time outside it — can really grasp the true nature of this country. Things are really twisted here, right? It’s hard to explain. Even we don’t know where to start sometimes.”</p>
<p>It may be hard to explain, but Atsuo and his bandmates, guitarist/bassist Takeshi and guitarist Wata (all three provide vocals and each prefer to go by one name), are doing something right. Boris is a critical darling overseas and the band’s vast discography includes 19 studio albums, five live albums and 13 EPs spanning its almost two-decade history. The sound ranges from the slow, heavy drone metal of 1996 debut “Absolutego,” to 1970s-style hard rock on 2002′s “<a href="http://boris.bandcamp.com/album/heavy-rocks" target="_blank">Heavy Rocks</a>,” to the electronic and J-pop-inspired sounds of 2011′s “<a href="http://boris.bandcamp.com/album/new-album" target="_blank">New Album</a>.”</p>
<p><!-- more -->The band’s latest album, “Noise,” will be out June 18 on Tearbridge Records, a subsidiary of Avex Group (the international release is being handled by <a href="http://sargenthouse.com" target="_blank">Sargent House </a>). It’s an attempt to condense Boris’ wide scope into a single record. The result is a streamlined, powerful, and at times beautiful look into the vast well of sounds its members have crafted over the years, from the soaring melodic rock of “Vanilla” and the eight-beat indie-pop of “Taiyo no Baka,” to the pulverizing thrash of “Quicksilver.”<br><iframe frameborder="no" height="166" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/143602045&color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_artwork=true&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false" width="100%"></iframe></p>
<p>“We decided on the title ‘Noise’ pretty early, at the start of summer last year,” Atsuo explains. “I thought the album was going to be very harsh noise and extreme, but as we worked on it we ended up with an album that’s probably our most musical yet. We decided to keep the title though.”</p>
<p>The title is fitting as it encapsulates the reasoning behind the changing nature of Boris’ sound, as well as the way the band approaches the concept of music.</p>
<p>“Something that sounds like noise to someone else might sound like music to us,” Atsuo says. “And something that sounds like music to someone else might sound really noisy to us. So we thought the ‘Noise’ title we initially chose really fit.”</p>
<p>These remarks remind me of an observation I had when I saw Boris perform in 2011 at I’ll Be Your Mirror, the Japanese edition of underground music festival All Tomorrow’s Parties. The band played “Flare,” an arena-rock- and visual-kei-influenced song on “New Album,” in front of an audience expecting a more ambient and experimental set (renowned noise musician Keiji Haino was playing on a substage at the same time).</p>
<p>“We definitely played ‘Flare’ at that show intentionally,” Atsuo says. “We feel uncomfortable when people look at us as artists. Rock is supposed to be vulgar, but modern rock isn’t thrilling at all. We don’t want to belong anywhere and we want to create our own space ourselves. I know, we’re very twisted (laughs).</p>
<p>“I think bands are really shunning the possibilities of music by being obsessed by an ideal image for their band. We want to break down the rigidity of being in a band. At the same time, we want to expand on the methodology and idea of what it is to be a band, which is why ‘New Album’ was so varied.”</p>
<p>Atsuo explains that “Noise” is the result of a series of events the band went through after releasing “New Album” and its two companion pieces: “Attention Please” and another, new “Heavy Rocks” album. The two records represented the extremes of the Boris sound at the time; the former being a polished, electronic, pop sound, and the latter focusing on hard rock.</p>
<p>“We toured behind those three records, and then Michio Kurihara, who played support guitar for us for six years, had to leave the band at the beginning of last year,” Atsuo says. “At that point, we already had plans for a residency tour, and we were planning on playing as a quartet. But we couldn’t do anything about it, so we decided to play it as a trio. We gained a lot of confidence and determination about being a trio during that tour. We figured that we could take all the experimentation we did as a quartet and bring it all down to play as a trio. I think ‘Noise’ is very much a rock band’s album.”</p>
<p>Upon the album’s completion, the band unveiled new tracks from it one at a time when playing shows in Tokyo. The gradual reveal will culminate at a show this Saturday at Tokyo’s Shindaita Fever, where Boris will play “Noise” in its entirety.</p>
<p>“Albums get shared on the Internet immediately after they’re released, so I think the best preview is to play it live,” Atsuo says. “Rather than just listen to the album, we want people to hear it live and then go into the album from that. I think that’s a real luxury in this modern age.”</p>
<p>[This week, however, U.S. media organization NPR is streaming “Noise” as part of its “<a href="http://www.npr.org/2014/06/08/318582149/first-listen-boris-noise" target="_blank">First Listen</a>" series.]</p>
<p>Boris has positioned “Noise” as being its definitive record, the one fans should point to when introducing others to its music. And while the band’s musical canvas may be enormous, Atsuo says that at the end of the day the trio is simply doing what they enjoy, perhaps breaking down a few barriers along the way.</p>
<p>“Our generation still had taboos (when it came to stating what music you liked). With the Internet, everything became equal and those taboos are really starting to disappear. But we still had them and we’ve consciously tried to tear them down. Maybe that’s why our tastes seem omnivorous.”</p>
<p>Atsuo says the breaking down of genres in the Internet age has been surprising, even for someone who has been in a band as diverse as his own.</p>
<p>“When we released the video for the song ‘Vanilla,’ I think (website) Stereogum said that it was ‘psych-metal.’ I was like, ‘Is that a genre?’ (laughs). That’s like mixing water and oil! I think it’s really cool that words like that just come out naturally.”</p>
<p>Atsuo says Boris didn’t set out to combine musical genres.</p>
<p>“I think in the middle of all the psychedelica, metal and hardcore, we had noise, and that served as the glue that held everything together. It kind of blurred the lines. That’s why we were able to put a bunch of different elements into one work. We’ve always said that we’re a heavy rock band, but I think we’re actually a noise band,” he says with a laugh. “So the title is really fitting. It’s almost like it’s a self-titled album.”</p>
<p class="jt_bio"><em>“Noise” goes on sale June 18. Boris plays Shindaita Fever in Tokyo on June 14 (7 p.m. start; ¥3,200 in advance; 03-6304-7899). For more information, visit <a href="http://www.borisheavyrocks.com" target="_blank">www.borisheavyrocks.com</a></em></p>
<p></p>US / THEM Grouptag:usthemgroup.com,2005:Post/37339602014-06-09T12:41:07-07:002015-06-08T23:57:48-07:00NPR Music Full Album Stream: Boris "Noise"<p><a href="http://www.npr.org/2014/06/08/318582149/first-listen-boris-noise" target="_blank"><img src="https://31.media.tumblr.com/85ccaf260a8456a321e2ffb56bd7dcea/tumblr_inline_n6x2f8eZDJ1qbzv4w.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="image" /><img src="https://31.media.tumblr.com/6305e5eea51184dc2dd1197dd70ef8b0/tumblr_inline_n6x2ft1rxF1qbzv4w.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="image" /><img src="https://31.media.tumblr.com/63d70b297676fcd2046b3c67cb4d9d8b/tumblr_inline_n6x2g4HaPN1qbzv4w.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="image" /></a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.npr.org/2014/06/08/318582149/first-listen-boris-noise" target="_blank"><em>Click above to stream</em> </a></p>
<p>To pay undivided attention to the Japanese experimental band would make it hard to keep up with the rest of modern music. Since 1996, the group has released 20 studio albums — as well as 11 collaborations with high-profile artists like psychedelic guitar phantoms Keiji Haino (Fushitsusha, Nazoranai) and Michio Kurihara (Ghost), noise lord Merzbow, and seismic drone outfit — and enough live recordings, demos, EPs and other collectibles to fill a laundry basket.</p>
<p>To <a href="http://sargenthouse.com/Boris" target="_blank">Boris</a>' credit, all that work covers a vast swath of music: lead-lined doom, stoner rock, heavy sludge, drone, shoegaze, loud pop, avant-garde experiments and shades of alternative rock. It's hard to know what to expect from the band once its latest record is finished; each successive release presents another shade of Boris, while moving farther away from a personality that can be pinned down. It's always one more effects pedal, one more custom amp, one more smash of drummer Atsuo's rear-mounted gong.</p>
<p><!-- more -->Word has it that Boris considers its latest album, <a href="http://boris.hellomerch.com" target="_blank"><em>Noise</em></a>, the one record in its catalog that touches on all corners of the band’s sound — and, true enough, the album goes a remarkable distance in bridging the gap between its members’ heads and listeners’ ears. On <em>Noise,</em> they don’t hold back at all, either as musicians or as consumers of music, and at long last an identity begins to form in their sound, exhilarating even in its familiarity.</p>
<p>Uptempo tracks like “Melody” and “Vanilla” soar like a powerboat hitting a rip current, as singer-bassist Takeshi’s vocals rise above Atsuo’s tense, cataclysmic assault and precision hi-hat work. Guitarist Wata executes perfect five-point turns in half-time and synth-pedal headrushes between these bouts of pressurized riffing. Boris perfects this formula in “Quicksilver,” the most metallic, melodic and utterly chaotic track on <em>Noise</em>, borrowing heavily from the living-room arena rock invented by the emo/shoegaze/-influenced band back at the end of the ’90s.</p>
<p>Right in the middle of the record, however, all of Boris’ lessons are reduced to a three-and-a-half-minute exercise, “Taiyo No Baka.” Electroplated pop bliss punctuated with drum machines, it may be the best thing on <em>Noise</em>, showing just how far Boris is willing to subvert expectations while retaining the core values of a heavy band. These guys have done this sort of thing before, but not this well. After dozens of albums, it’s a strong indicator that Boris can surprise, where before it could only stun.<br><br><a href="http://artistdata.com/boris/shows" target="_blank">BORIS will be touring their new album in America - SEE ALL BORIS Tour Dates HERE </a><br><br><a href="http://boris.hellomerch.com" target="_blank">Pre-Order NOISE on CD or Double LP Vinyl here </a><br><br></p>US / THEM Grouptag:usthemgroup.com,2005:Post/37339612014-05-19T15:20:00-07:002015-06-08T23:57:48-07:00Stereogum Video Premiere: Boris "Vanilla" <p><img src="https://31.media.tumblr.com/84a3c45108b1b7851d89c4be1fb636b8/tumblr_inline_n5udvmJcAa1qg2879.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="image" /><a href="http://www.stereogum.com/1682021/boris-vanilla-video-stereogum-premiere/video/" target="_blank"><img src="https://31.media.tumblr.com/465fd7e5b102cb381587fc4140e4db78/tumblr_inline_n5udwwSsTu1qg2879.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="image" /></a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.stereogum.com/1682021/boris-vanilla-video-stereogum-premiere/video/" target="_blank"><img src="https://31.media.tumblr.com/e2ab71f39fe22a063315188da373d10b/tumblr_inline_n5udw96f0r1qg2879.png" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="image" /></a></p>
<p>On their upcoming <a href="http://boris.bandcamp.com" target="_blank"><em>Noise</em></a> <a href="http://sargenthouse.com/Boris" target="_blank"><strong>Boris</strong></a> revisit the riff-happy psych-metal of older releases like <em>Pink</em> and <em>Akuma No Uta</em>. That return to heaviness was apparent as soon as you hit play on the <a href="http://www.stereogum.com/1674404/boris-quicksilver/mp3s/" data-ls-seen="1">seven minute single</a> “Quicksilver,” but even though “Vanilla” is a shorter song, it delivers even more with this video. The clip shows the band playing through clouds of smoke and flashing lights, letting you savor every sweet double-neck guitar solo, cymbal crash, and bad-ass stare into the camera. It’s a blast. Watch below and <a href="http://artistdata.com/boris/shows" target="_blank">check them out on tour</a>.<span id="more-1682021"></span></p>
<p><iframe frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/M6KQRopdyls?rel=0" width="500"></iframe></p>
<p><strong>Boris Tour Dates:</strong><br> 06/14 Tokyo, Japan @ Fever (2014-2015 World Tour kick-off, playing <em>Noise</em> in its entirety)<br> 07/24 San Diego, CA @ Casbah !!<br> 07/25 Phoenix, AZ @ The Crescent Ballroom !!<br> 07/26 Tucson, AZ @ Club Congress !!<br> 07/28 Dallas, TX @ Trees ++<br> 07/29 Austin, TX @ The Mohawk ++<br> 07/31 Atlanta, GA @ Terminal West ** &<br> 08/01 Carrboro, NC @ Cat’s Cradle ** &<br> 08/02 Washington, DC @ 930 Club ** &<br> 08/03 New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom ** &<br> 08/05 Boston, MA @ Paradise ** &<br> 08/07 Toronto, ON @ Lee’s Palace ** &<br> 08/08 Buffalo, NY @ Tralf ** &<br> 08/09 Detroit, MI @ Magic Stick ** &<br> 08/10 Chicago, IL @ Bottom Lounge ** &<br> 08/11 Milwaukee, WI @ Turner Hall ** &<br> 08/12 Minneapolis, MN @ Triple Rock Social Club ** &<br> 08/14 Missoula, MT @ Stage 112 &<br> 08/15 Spokane, WA @ Big Dipper ^<br> 08/16 Seattle, WA @ The Crocodile #^<br> 08/17 Vancouver, BC @ Rickshaw Theatre #^<br> 08/18 Portland, OR @ Doug Fir Lounge #^<br> 08/20 San Francisco, CA @ The Independent #<br> 08/21 Santa Cruz, CA @ The Catalyst Atrium #<br> 08/22 San Luis Obispo, CA @ SLO Brew #<br> 08/23 Los Angeles, CA @ FYF Fest</p>
<p>!! w/ Mustard Gas & Roses<br> ++ w/ Ceremony & Special Guests<br> ** w/ The Atlas Moth<br> & w/ SubRosa<br> ^ w/ Master Musicians of Bukkake<br> # w/ Marriages</p>
<p><em>Noise</em> is out 6/17 via <a href="http://sargenthouse.com" target="_blank">Sargent House</a>. Pre-order <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/noise-deluxe-version/id879786768" data-ls-seen="1">here</a>.</p>US / THEM Grouptag:usthemgroup.com,2005:Post/37339622014-05-19T15:13:09-07:002015-06-08T23:57:49-07:00Boris announced to play in Los Angeles on August 23rd at FYF Fest <p><a href="http://fyffest.com/" target="_blank"><img src="https://31.media.tumblr.com/dfe56686c4040c19e7dc56715031fb8d/tumblr_inline_n5udmjehJV1qg2879.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" /></a></p>
<p><a href="http://sargenthouse.com/Boris" target="_blank">Boris</a> have been announced to play Saturday, August 23rd at this year’s <a href="http://fyffest.com/" target="_blank">FYF Festival </a>in Los Angeles, CA. Tickets go on sale May 22nd at <a href="http://fyffest.com/" target="_blank">FYF Fest site. </a></p>US / THEM Grouptag:usthemgroup.com,2005:Post/37339632014-05-12T16:04:00-07:002015-06-08T23:57:49-07:00Boris add more US Tour dates and announce support bands<p><img src="https://31.media.tumblr.com/0e48ab2e580f4bc6174779d556e0c6d9/tumblr_inline_n5hhnsVBv81qg2879.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="image" /></p>
<p><a href="http://sargenthouse.com/Boris" target="_blank">Boris </a>have announced a few more US shows on their upcoming tour as well as the first round of support bands for each including <a href="http://mgrsounds.com/" target="_blank">Mustard Gas & Roses (Ex-Isis)</a> , <a href="http://www.ceremonyhc.com/" target="_blank">Ceremony</a>, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/theatlasmothband" target="_blank">The Atlas Moth</a>, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/SubrosaSLC" target="_blank">SubRosa</a>, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Master-Musicians-of-Bukkake/134327659950686" target="_blank">Master Musicians of Bukkake </a> and label mates <a href="http://sargenthouse.com/Marriages" target="_blank">Marriages</a> all on select cities as listed below. Boris will be touring in support of their new album <em>Noise</em> coming out worldwide (excluding Japan) on <a href="http://sargenthouse.com" target="_blank">Sargent House</a> on June 17th. Stream the first new track “Quicksilver” from the album below. <br><a href="http://boris.hellomerch.com" target="_blank"><br>Pre-order <em>Noise</em> on Double LP Vinyl or CD HERE </a><br><br><iframe frameborder="no" height="166" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/143602045&color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_artwork=true" width="100%"></iframe><br><a href="http://artistdata.com/boris/shows" target="_blank"><br>SEE ALL BORIS SHOW UPDATES & DETAILS HERE</a><br><br><strong>BORIS LIVE 2014</strong> <br>06/14 Tokyo, Japan @ Fever (playing <em>Noise</em> in its entirety)<br><strong>USA / CANADA</strong><br>07/24 San Diego, CA @ Casbah !! <br>07/25 Phoenix, AZ @ The Crescent Ballroom !!<br>07/26 Tucson, AZ @ Club Congress !!<br>07/28 Dallas, TX @ Trees w/ Ceremony ++<br>07/29 Austin, TX @ The Mohawk ++<br>07/31 Atlanta, GA @ Terminal West ** &<br>08/01 Carrboro, NC @ Cat’s Cradle ** &<br>08/02 Washington, DC @ 930 Club**&<br>08/03 New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom **&<br>08/05 Boston, MA @ Paradise **&<br>08/07 Toronto, ON @ Lee’s Palace **&<br>08/08 Buffalo, NY @ Tralf **&<br>08/09 Detroit, MI @ Magic Stick **&<br>08/10 Chicago, IL @ Bottom Lounge **&<br>08/11 Milwaukee, WI @ Turner Hall **&<br>08/12 Minneapolis, MN @ Triple Rock Social Club **&<br>08/14 Missoula, MT @ Stage 112 &<br>08/15 Spokane, WA @ Big Dipper ^<br>08/16 Seattle, WA @ The Crocodile # ^<br>08/17 Vancouver, BC @ Rickshaw Theatre # ^<br>08/18 Portland, OR @ Doug Fir Lounge # ^<br>08/20 San Francisco, CA @ The Independent #<br>08/21 Santa Cruz, CA @ The Catalyst Atrium # <br>08/22 San Luis Obispo @ SLO Brew # <br>08/23 Los Angeles, CA @ <a href="http://fyffest.com/" target="_blank">FYF Fest</a></p>
<p>!! w/ <a href="http://mgrsounds.com/" target="_blank">Mustard Gas & Roses</a><br>++ w/ <a href="http://www.ceremonyhc.com/" target="_blank">Ceremony </a>& Special Guests<br>** w/ <a href="https://www.facebook.com/theatlasmothband" target="_blank">The Atlas Moth</a><br>& w/ <a href="https://www.facebook.com/SubrosaSLC" target="_blank">SubRosa </a><br>^ w/ <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Master-Musicians-of-Bukkake/134327659950686" target="_blank">Master Musicians of Bukkake </a><br># w/ <a href="https://www.facebook.com/MarriagesBand" target="_blank">Marriages </a></p>US / THEM Grouptag:usthemgroup.com,2005:Post/37339642014-04-10T13:03:50-07:002015-06-08T23:57:49-07:00BORIS "Noise" Pre-Orders now online<p><a href="http://boris.hellomerch.com" target="_blank"><img src="https://31.media.tumblr.com/5c016e4577cac84b95bcfbdab01af081/tumblr_inline_n3tz908n4d1qbzv4w.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" /></a></p>
<p><a href="http://sargenthouse.com/Boris" target="_blank"><strong>BORIS</strong></a>' new album <em>Noise</em> is now up for <a href="http://boris.hellomerch.com" target="_blank">pre-order</a> at their US online store <a href="http://hellomerch.com/collections/boris" target="_blank">HERE</a>. Also available are CD or Vinyl bundle that comes with “Noise” Album art shirt and 11x17 Album art poster. The Vinyl is a double LP available in Black or limited to 1k color Black/Marble and comes with Album download card. <strong>Special Bonus</strong>: ALL Vinyl pre-order customers will also be sent 5 Bonus Live tracks on or around June 17th via email. Bonus tracks will only be sent to pre-order customers. <br><br>Stream “Quicksilver” below and <a href="http://artistdata.com/boris/shows" target="_blank">SEE ALL BORIS TOUR DATES HERE</a></p>
<p><iframe frameborder="no" height="450" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/143602045&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&visual=true" width="100%"></iframe></p>US / THEM Grouptag:usthemgroup.com,2005:Post/37339652014-04-08T10:33:00-07:002017-01-12T06:15:36-08:00 BORIS Announce New Album Noise, Share "Quicksilver" stream - US & Canadian Tour Dates<p><a href="http://pitchfork.com/news/54692-boris-announce-new-album-noise-share-quicksilver/" target="_blank"><img src="https://31.media.tumblr.com/51871467f345e5967505fffee3f656ee/tumblr_inline_n3q2mwM7X61qbzv4w.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="image" /></a><img src="https://31.media.tumblr.com/430ef586bf1cc02844d0e19380e79d61/tumblr_inline_n3q2ndLkBO1qbzv4w.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="image" /></p>
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<a href="http://artistdata.com/boris/shows" target="_blank"><strong>SEE ALL BORIS SHOW UPDATES & DETAILS HERE</strong></a>
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<strong><br>BORIS LIVE 2014</strong> (still more dates to be announced)<br>04/27 London, UK @ Desertfest (headlining day #3)<br>06/14 Tokyo, Japan @ Fever (playing Noise in its entirety)<br>07/24 San Diego, CA @ Casbah<br>07/25 Phoenix, AZ @ The Crescent Ballroom<br>07/26 Tucson, AZ @ Club Congress<br>07/28 Dallas, TX @ Trees<br>07/29 Austin, TX @ The Mohawk<br>07/31 Atlanta, GA @ Terminal West<br>08/01 Carrboro, NC @ Cat’s Cradle<br>08/02 Washington, DC @ 930 Club<br>08/03 New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom<br>08/05 Boston, MA @ Paradise<br>08/07 Toronto, ON @ Lee’s Palace<br>08/08 Buffalo, NY @ Tralf<br>08/09 Detroit, MI @ Magic Stick<br>08/10 Chicago, IL @ Bottom Lounge<br>08/11 Milwaukee, WI @ Turner Hall<br>08/12 Minneapolis, MN @ Triple Rock Social Club<br>08/16 Seattle, WA @ The Crocodile<br>08/17 Vancouver, BC @ Rickshaw Theatre<br>08/18 Portland, OR @ Doug Fir Lounge<br>08/20 San Francisco, CA @ The Independent</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-N3MZSVm-8UQ/U0NX2oRzP4I/AAAAAAAABto/e2PL1kGCbgg/s1600/SH121_1C_H1_RGB_1500x1500.jpg"><img src="//2.bp.blogspot.com/-N3MZSVm-8UQ/U0NX2oRzP4I/AAAAAAAABto/e2PL1kGCbgg/s1600/SH121_1C_H1_RGB_1500x1500.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="image" height="320" width="320" /></a> <br><br>Artist: <strong>BORIS</strong><br>Album: <em>Noise</em><br>Label: Sargent House<br>Release date: June 17th, 2014<br><a href="http://boris.hellomerch.com" target="_blank">PRE-ORDERS start April 10th</a><br><br>01. Melody<br>02. Vanilla<br>03. Ghost of Romance<br>04. Heavy Rain<br>05. Taiyo no Baka<br>06. Angel<br>07. Quicksilver (STREAM)<br>08. Siesta<br><br><strong>BORIS on the web</strong><br><a href="http://borisheavyrocks.com" target="_blank">borisheavyrocks.com</a> (Official site: Japan)<br><a href="http://sargenthouse.com/Boris" target="_blank">sargenthouse.com/Bori</a>s (Label page)<br><a href="https://www.facebook.com/borisheavyrocks" target="_blank">Boris on Facebook </a>(Official)<br><a href="http://borisheavyrocks.tumblr.com" target="_blank">borisheavyrocks.tumblr.com</a> (BORIS news U.S.)<br><a href="http://boris.bandcamp.com" target="_blank">boris.bandcamp.com</a><br>Follow BORIS on Twitter: <a href="http://twitter.com/borisheavyrocks" target="_blank">@borisheavyrocks</a><br><div><span> </span></div>
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See Full List HERE
<p><img src="https://31.media.tumblr.com/9361232c4d773f14ae994f8707d3d0b0/tumblr_inline_my2vs6T7M01qbzv4w.gif" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="image" /><img src="https://31.media.tumblr.com/65b227e30f4df13edf3d6f1f04006ea1/tumblr_inline_my2vsn6aCs1qbzv4w.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="image" /><img src="https://31.media.tumblr.com/04cee5ebca00fdf032b9ace7ec857732/tumblr_inline_my2vtzaDJA1qbzv4w.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="image" /><img src="https://31.media.tumblr.com/800137e33feef6fb64b0a787c23aad9c/tumblr_inline_my2vuaJSgl1qbzv4w.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="image" /></p>
<p><a href="http://blogs.laweekly.com/westcoastsound/2013/12/best_concerts_of_the_year_los_angeles_2013.php?page=2">See Full List HERE </a></p>
<p></p>US / THEM Grouptag:usthemgroup.com,2005:Post/37339672013-07-17T10:43:05-07:002015-06-08T23:57:49-07:00Wata visits Orange Amplifiers - Atlanta <p><iframe frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/RSWsh-nWtxg?list=UUIq45Twz23R1srjvWyozIOw" width="500"></iframe></p>
<p>Wata stopped by to play a secret show and talk about her love of <a href="http://www.orangeamps.com/" target="_blank">Orange Amps</a> while <a href="http://sargenthouse.com/Boris" target="_blank">Boris</a> was touring through Atlanta.</p>
<p><iframe frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/nqm_A_3YsP0?list=UUIq45Twz23R1srjvWyozIOw" width="500"></iframe></p>US / THEM Grouptag:usthemgroup.com,2005:Post/37339682013-06-24T10:12:08-07:002017-01-12T06:15:36-08:00MTV IGGY: Boris Live Videos and Interview with Atsuo <p><a href="http://www.mtviggy.com/interviews/boriss-heavy-rock-explained-almost-chaos-music-just-a-little-bit/" target="_blank"><img src="//media.tumblr.com/7d3e6914b46548a23beeb092f315dc43/tumblr_inline_mowpuseRsk1qz4rgp.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="image" /><img src="//media.tumblr.com/aebdd39897fcdfbe8f0fd956130ec060/tumblr_inline_mowpuylya11qz4rgp.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="image" /></a></p>
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<p>A trip through <a href="http://sargenthouse.com/Boris" target="_blank">Boris</a>’ catalog will have you drowning in fuzz-laden drone one minute, and floating on a buttery smooth beat the next. Known for unpredictability in all aspects of their art, the experimental rock band from Japan is altogether bizarre, fearless and wholly satisfying. Visually, too, Boris is peculiar. Guitarist Wata’s small frame contrasts with the massive voice of her instrument, which she commands with grace amidst the heavy attack of distortion. Drummer Atsuo is an animated vision behind the kit. And singer/bassist/rhythm guitarist Takeshi lends his pipes as he stands with his signature double neck bass and six-string guitar in one, harnessing the trio’s energy and channeling it into an oftentimes baffled crowd. This is a Boris show – and there’s absolutely nothing else like it.</p>
<p>Let’s not forget Boris’s tendency to confuse the very people who worship them. In 2011, they released <a href="http://boris.bandcamp.com/album/heavy-rocks" target="_blank">Heavy Rocks</a>, an album of the same name as one they’d released nine years prior. In tandem with the release of the new Heavy Rocks, they dropped <a href="http://boris.bandcamp.com/album/attention-please" target="_blank">Attention Please</a>, on which Wata unexpectedly took over vocal duties. Boris keep listeners on their toes, which is one of the many reasons why the band has attracted and held an international cult following throughout their long history together.</p>
<p>Atsuo recently gave us a glimpse into his creative headspace as he answered our questions about the writing and recording process, the importance of vinyl and riding the fine line between music and chaos.<br><!-- more --></p>
<p><strong>You recently concluded a lengthy US tour, which included a series of two-night stands in various cities. What are your thoughts post-trek?</strong></p>
<p>It was incredible, the best Boris tour ever in our long history. We really appreciate our loyal fans who have been supporting us. And one of the other purposes of the tour was to meet up with our long time and old friends who we became familiar with over there too. I met the fan who saw our show eight times during this tour. This is unbelievable. We are encouraged by those people and made it totally successful.</p>
<p><strong>What’s the story of your formation as a band?</strong><br> This band was begun just for fun. Our former drummer practiced a lot though he could not form a band, so we gathered the members for him.</p>
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<p><strong>How would you describe your music to a total stranger who’s interested in what you do?</strong><br>INGREDIENTS: Almost chaos, music just a little bit.</p>
<p><strong>You’re bold and unabashed when it comes to your art. To what extent to you think about the fans when you’re writing music?</strong></p>
<p>I recall great views from the stage and fans’ faces, though I don’t think about them too much during a writing process. To take our own pleasure is our primal urge, which is the best manner for the fans I think, so that we can share great stuff only we and fans feel.</p>
<p><strong>You decided to do another vinyl-only release with Präparat. What’s the reasoning behind releasing your music on this medium alone?</strong><br> I’m pretty sick of thinking about digital distribution, web streaming or possible variants of physical format these days. It seemed to be cool to focus only on vinyl sometimes.</p>
<p><strong>Tell us about your most memorable music collaboration.</strong><br> Everything. I have had very special memories of each and every one of them. What’s your ideal setting for writing music?</p>
<p><strong>How varied has the setting been throughout your catalog, which spans nearly 20 years?</strong></p>
<p>From tracking to mastering, it’s a big process of our songwriting. We have tried several strategies for recording every time. Nowadays we don’t book a quality recording studio any more, just work and track in our rehearsal space for years because this is the most comfortable way for us so far. Things are not determined even though we tried to do the best that we can. Usually we jam in the studio naturally then we have found we can unintentionally write decent songs, most of our “good” songs are written in that process. They have a feeling of an internal special secret, or a puzzle that can never be solved. It is a good sign of our favorite song.</p>
<p><strong>Who, or what, has been influencing you the most lately?</strong><br> The world itself, and my physical body.</p>
<p><strong>How have the relationships within the band evolved over the years? Were there tumultuous times? You’ve been together for a long time.</strong><br> Nothing in particular really, everything is good. This tour was hard physically because we played lots of older songs.</p>
<p><strong>What do you believe we should see more of in the music scene today?</strong></p>
<p>The thing that we feel is excitement – that is the only thing we trust in to move forward. Everyone should do whatever they would really like to do. Also they should learn how they share particular things and visions with others, and then it will lead to further possibilities.</p>
<p><strong><em>Words and interview by Julia Nueman</em></strong></p>US / THEM Grouptag:usthemgroup.com,2005:Post/37339692013-06-06T15:19:00-07:002017-01-12T06:15:36-08:00Boris to play two night residency in Tokyo before heading to Australia for June Tour<p><img src="//media.tumblr.com/d39e126246a4d96155806429d1b9a137/tumblr_inline_mnzsdjiTXJ1qz4rgp.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="image" /><br><a href="http://sargenthouse.com/Boris" target="_blank">Boris</a> will perform two shows in Tokyo, one night will be a set of classics and the other night a set of Flood/ experimental on June 15 and 16. Boris will then head to Australia for tour there starting June 19th. <a href="http://artistdata.sonicbids.com/boris/shows" target="_blank">SEE ALL SHOW DETAILS HERE </a><br><br><strong>BORIS - JAPAN/ AUSTRALIA</strong> <br>06/15 - Tokyo, Japan @ FEVER *<br>06/16 - Tokyo, Japan @ FEVER *<br>06/19 - Melbourne, AU @ Corner Hotel <br>06/21 - Sydney, AU @ Manning Bar <br>06/22 - Hobart, AU @<a href="http://borisheavyrocks.tumblr.com/%20http://darkmofo.net.au/program/satanalia/" target="_blank"> Dark Mofo Festival </a><br>06/24 - Perth, AU @ Rosemont Hotel <br><br><br></p>US / THEM Grouptag:usthemgroup.com,2005:Post/37339702013-06-05T18:37:27-07:002017-02-04T17:00:50-08:00
A few weeks ago, Bay Area atmospheric black metal outfit...<img src="//36.media.tumblr.com/04cee5ebca00fdf032b9ace7ec857732/tumblr_mny76fALYo1qh1spto1_500.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" /><br> <br><img src="//41.media.tumblr.com/537f1bf3b399f0caaf325f48601a8330/tumblr_mny76fALYo1qh1spto2_500.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" /><br> <br><img src="//40.media.tumblr.com/ca2de73b85dae6cb317dc1a3399a5174/tumblr_mny76fALYo1qh1spto3_500.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" /><br> <br><img src="//41.media.tumblr.com/7addb6dd677a743bd159123091a99aaf/tumblr_mny76fALYo1qh1spto4_500.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" /><br> <br><img src="//41.media.tumblr.com/6f5a5cf2a25c6cc35abdaf9e047d0283/tumblr_mny76fALYo1qh1spto5_500.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" /><br> <br><img src="//40.media.tumblr.com/34856449bf74351ed42ae76ca47cff37/tumblr_mny76fALYo1qh1spto6_500.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" /><br> <br><img src="//40.media.tumblr.com/d9c277c98a9578da89cd364f193ab45b/tumblr_mny76fALYo1qh1spto7_500.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" /><br> <br><img src="//41.media.tumblr.com/810ab6ebe366bc1ff17a88ab078e3e33/tumblr_mny76fALYo1qh1spto8_500.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" /><br> <br><img src="//40.media.tumblr.com/fda10cbc23e5bd5e675136e9c2d53f99/tumblr_mny76fALYo1qh1spto9_500.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" /><br> <br><p><img src="//media.tumblr.com/81a2233b4deb68aad016d838f3ee4acb/tumblr_inline_mny4xcK3t71qz4rgp.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="image" /></p>
<p>A few weeks ago, Bay Area atmospheric black metal outfit <a href="http://deafheaven.com" target="_blank"><strong>Deafheaven</strong> </a>supported Japanese heavy trollers <a href="http://sargenthouse.com/Boris" target="_blank"><strong>Boris</strong></a> on a two night run at LA mainstay <strong><a href="http://www.theecho.com/" target="_blank">The Echoplex . </a></strong>See more pictures at <a href="http://theholloweyed.com/archives/2936" target="_blank">The Holloweyed</a>. The entire set will soon hit the <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/32161308@N05/sets/" target="_blank">Echo / Echoplex’s Flickr.</a></p>US / THEM Grouptag:usthemgroup.com,2005:Post/37339712013-05-28T12:05:39-07:002022-04-21T04:40:07-07:00
BORIS Friday’s Boris set was a performance of their 2000 record...<img src="//40.media.tumblr.com/2b198c32008cc5fe9e57e470ef0634b1/tumblr_mnivpfSiBY1qh1spto1_500.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" /><br> <br><img src="//40.media.tumblr.com/1416ba4dbebb89c51a2a660f8aab2d7b/tumblr_mnivpfSiBY1qh1spto2_500.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" /><br> <br><img src="//40.media.tumblr.com/e19959b3c0d97d841bc47e5c6352568f/tumblr_mnivpfSiBY1qh1spto3_500.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" /><br> <br><img src="//40.media.tumblr.com/a5bd227d5acdf5e0beb9e48624820b4a/tumblr_mnivpfSiBY1qh1spto4_500.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" /><br> <br><img src="//40.media.tumblr.com/a238bacd022796b82ddc619a04223849/tumblr_mnivpfSiBY1qh1spto5_500.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" /><br> <br><img src="//40.media.tumblr.com/d7b6efe6d5530eb2b2c5af78c850ae1d/tumblr_mnivpfSiBY1qh1spto6_500.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" /><br> <br><img src="//40.media.tumblr.com/797d2536eb5d6a5065c4c165f75decf8/tumblr_mnivpfSiBY1qh1spto7_500.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" /><br> <br><img src="//40.media.tumblr.com/5c9e4d794e5c32006d00424b6f1416b4/tumblr_mnivpfSiBY1qh1spto8_500.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" /><br> <br><img src="//40.media.tumblr.com/7e342443f2db1e72bb8001f5cee4229f/tumblr_mnivpfSiBY1qh1spto9_500.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" /><br> <br><p><a href="http://www.cvltnation.com/ides-of-gemini-boris-deafheaven-photo-essay/" target="_blank"><img src="//media.tumblr.com/b0a62dfb386b28e90261e07f1de6b6f5/tumblr_inline_mnivedpMfu1qz4rgp.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" /></a></p>
<p><a href="http://sargenthouse.com/Boris" target="_blank"><strong>BORIS</strong></a><br> Friday’s <strong>Boris</strong> set was a performance of their 2000 record <em>Flood</em>, an absolute behemoth in the annals of sludge and doom history. To refer to the Boris set as the dessert of the night would be insulting: this was more like a second entrée. Consisting of one 70-minute track, Boris took the audience on a crawling ride that began with the banging of a giant Zildjian gong cymbal and then descended into varying degrees of feedback for over an hour. The drone was endless, blurring the line between what is music and what is noise, only temporarily providing a definitive answer when sludge riffs would bubble to the surface.</p>
<p>With the smoke machines pumping to capacity, the entire room filled with a foggy haze where visibility depended entirely on whichever color light was illuminating the stage at any given moment. But through the fog, it was obvious just how much chemistry Boris has cultivated over the last two decades. A not often talked about complication to doom, especially when it’s in the form of one ludicrously long movement, is how seemingly easy it would be to get lost in feedback traffic. But guitarist Wata only needed to give a brief glance over at Takeshi and his double-necked bass/guitar to keep on track and figure out the right moment for Wata to lay down a solo or for Takeshi to shelve the droning guitar for plodding bass.</p>
<p>After the set, and after drummer Atsuo sprinted forward to crowd surf after having wrapped up such an epic musical journey, the drummer collected himself on stage and thanked the crowd for their attendance. And just as effusively, the crowd returned its thank yous to Boris tenfold. <em>Arigato</em>, indeed.<br><br><a href="http://www.cvltnation.com/ides-of-gemini-boris-deafheaven-photo-essay/" target="_blank">See full photo gallery and show review here all Text & Photos by Matthew Grant Anson </a></p>
<p></p>US / THEM Grouptag:usthemgroup.com,2005:Post/37339722013-04-22T11:33:00-07:002022-05-21T08:28:31-07:00Boris US Tour starts April 23rd - June Shows announced in Tokyo and Australia<p><img src="//media.tumblr.com/f4e0ad8c0dd6777e54f8fb37c216943c/tumblr_inline_mlo5lceqX11qz4rgp.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="image" /></p>
<p><a href="http://sargenthouse.com/Boris" target="_blank">Boris</a> ’ massive US Tour begins on April 23rd and will include a special series of residency shows. Just announced in June they will perform two nights in Tokyo before heading off to Australia. The residency shows, billed as “from the past, the present and through to the future” features <strong>Boris</strong> playing 2 consecutive nights in select cities. For the first night, the band will perform its all-time classics along with many new songs never before played in the US. The second night’s set features most of Boris’ cult classic album <em>Flood</em> along with a noise/drone/experimental set. On the additional one-off dates Boris will combine all-time classics with part of <em>Flood</em> and other songs’ US debut. Boris will once again perform in their classic trio lineup.<br><br><a href="http://artistdata.com/boris/shows" target="_blank">SEE ALL SHOW DETAILS AND TICKET LINKS HERE </a><br><strong><br>BORIS US TOUR 2013</strong><br>04/23 San Diego, CA @ The Casbah <strong>%</strong><br>04/24 Phoenix, AZ @ The Crescent Ballroom <strong>%</strong><br>04/26 Denton, TX @ Rubber Gloves <br>04/27 Austin, TX @ Carson Creek - <a href="http://www.austinpsychfest.com/" target="_blank">Austin Psych Fest</a><br>04/29 Atlanta, GA @ The Masquerade <strong>!!</strong><br>04/30 Carrboro, NC @ Cat’s Cradle <strong>!!</strong><br>05/01 Washington DC @ Rock and Roll Hotel * <strong>!!</strong><br>05/02 Washington DC @ Rock and Roll Hotel * #<br>05/03 Philadelphia, PA @ Theatre of Living Arts <strong>!!</strong> #<br>05/04 Allston, MA @ Brighton Music Hall * <strong>!!</strong><br>05/05 Allston, MA @ Brighton Music Hall * w/ <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/DOOMRIDERS/53771008100" target="_blank">Doomriders</a><br>05/06 New York, NY @ Le Poisson Rouge * <strong>!!</strong><br>05/07 New York, NY @ Le Poisson Rouge * #<br>05/09 Cleveland, OH @ Grog Shop <strong>!!</strong><br>05/10 Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall * <strong>!!</strong><br>05/11 Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall * &<br>05/12 St. Louis, MO @ Firebird &<br>05/13 Lincoln, NE @ Bourbon Theater &<br>05/14 Denver, CO @ Bluebird &<br>05/16 Mexico City, MX @ Lunario / <a href="https://www.facebook.com/festivalaural?ref=ts&fref=ts" target="_blank">Aural Festival </a><br>05/18 Seattle, WA @ The Crocodile * w/ <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/House-of-Low-Culture/109752899050706" target="_blank">House of Low Culture</a><br>05/19 Seattle, WA @ The Crocodile * w/<a href="http://drcarlsonalbion.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">drcarlsonbion</a><br>05/21 San Francisco, CA @ Rickshaw Stop * w/ <a href="https://www.facebook.com/blackbossedenage" target="_blank">Bosse-de-Nage</a><br>05/22 San Francisco, CA @ Rickshaw Stop * <strong>^^</strong><br>05/23 Los Angeles, CA @ The Echoplex * <strong>^^</strong> %<br>05/24 Los Angeles, CA @ The Echoplex * <strong>^^</strong> also w/ <a href="https://www.facebook.com/IdesofgeminI" target="_blank">Ides of Gemini</a><br><br>* = residency shows <br>% w/ <a href="http://sargenthouse.com/Marriages" target="_blank">Marriages</a> <br>!! w/ <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Young-Widows/37160148471?ref=ts&fref=ts" target="_blank">Young Widows </a><br># w/ <a href="http://www.stephenbrodsky.com" target="_blank">Stephen Brodsky</a><br>& w/ <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pallbearerdoom" target="_blank">Pallbearer</a><br>^^ w/ <a href="http://sargenthouse.com/Deafheaven" target="_blank">Deafheaven </a><br><br><strong>BORIS - JAPAN/ AUSTRALIA</strong> <br>06/15 - Tokyo, Japan @ FEVER *<br>06/16 - Tokyo, Japan @ FEVER *<br>06/19 - Melbourne, AU @ Corner Hotel <br>06/21 - Sydney, AU @ Manning Bar <br>06/22 - Hobart, AU @<a href="%20http://darkmofo.net.au/program/satanalia/" target="_blank"> Dark Mofo Festival </a><br>06/24 - Perth, AU @ Rosemont Hotel <br><br></p>US / THEM Group