Little explanation is required for why I chose Beneath the Blazing Abyss for review. From artwork and title alone I was promised a fiery, hellish heavy metal experience, while Baron’s one sheet informed me this would be of the doom/death variety. I even initially thought that the art depicted an interpretation of the Bridge of Khazad-dûm. However, closer inspection reveals a decapitated head offered to demonic spirits; altogether too X-rated for the famously conservative Christian Tolkien. While these Finns have released a smattering of EPs and demos previously, this album offers their debut full-length. What type of evil resides within?
Burly riffs. A stomping, mean attitude. Brutish, block-headed heaviness. These are the core qualities you’ll experience on Blazing Abyss. Your mileage with it will largely depend on your tolerance for them. Baron fall at the death metal end of the doom/death spectrum, splitting their time between a mid-pace that prioritizes fat, groovy leads, and sharper, faster passages. The former gives you something to mosh to, and the latter progresses the songs by acting as transitions between moshing parts. The vocals likewise flit between guttural roars and higher shrieks to fit the underlying guitars. But most exciting is the commanding presence of the drums. I know it’s their purpose to dictate the music’s mood and tempo but I’m more tied to these than anything else across Blazing Abyss. The quick blasts, the pummelling stomps and the entertaining rolls; each underpin some of my favorite moments on the record.
Following these descriptions, it won’t come as a surprise that a lot of the material here almost necessitates that you switch off your brain. The music is better that way. I’m bruised and battered by, but not necessarily invested in, the likes of “Infernal Atonement,” “Incinerated Evil” and “Hands of Sin…” They’re heavy as fuck, and feature one or two dominant leads, but only have a superficial impact. When Baron stretch themselves with more demanding songwriting they become far more involving. “Bound to the Funeral Pyres” is the lengthy highlight, methodically building with a slower, grander, choral-backed arrangement. It begins less heavily but consequently feels even bigger when the blackened maelstrom finally arrives. It offers an interesting juxtaposition of something more controlled against something less, from elaborate to maniacal. By the time the track has returned to its quiet introduction at its conclusion, I’m left far more satisfied than by any other. It features proper development, progressing through mini-movements, into something that feels more deliberate and coherent.
Blazing Abyss is heavy as fuck. It uses fat tones and tons of distortion to construct its impressive wall of noise. But this is a brick wall of noise. Each instrument is prominent and thick and so the album overall loses the dynamism I typically enjoy, both in the music and mastering. Baron are surprisingly articulate and atmospheric during their acoustic and/or synthy softer passages on “At the Dawn of Damnation,” “Bound to the Funeral Pyres” and “… Swallowed by Fires Beneath.” But the loudness is shockingly noticeable in these quieter moments. This lack of dynamism is a big part of why much of the music here blurs. While these three tracks benefit from tonal changes (namely heavy to light) alongside the pace changes (namely death metal to doom metal), the other tracks can’t proclaim such variety and progression. So while the songs are generally fun enough, they aren’t always distinguishable.
Blazing Abyss is thicker than tar and heavier than iron. What Baron aims for initially seems straightforward. But I’m ultimately left with paradoxes. How can some of the material here be so immediate and exigent, yet some so indistinct and forgettable? How can some be so super-charged, yet some so flat? How can some leave me nonplussed at my desk, yet some energize me to mosh in a live setting? Blazing Abyss has its qualities but is ultimately the archetypal mixed album.
Rating: 2.5/5.0
DR: 5 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Transcending Obscurity
Website: bandcamp.baron.com
Releases worldwide: April 26th, 2024
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