Seducer of Hearts - How Bölzer Rapidly Conquered the Underground

Few bands in metal have snatched the mass attention of the underground metal faithful as rapidly as Swiss black/death adherents Bölzer last year following the release of debut EP 'Aura'. Formed in 2008, the two-piece's first musical output was demo 'Roman Acupuncture' released in 2012. Fast-forward two years and Bölzer have already played or are booked tosome of the world's premier metal events (Hellfest, Maryland Death Fest and Party San to name but a few), effortlessly making it to almost every extreme metaller's best releases of 2014 list without the backing of a major record label or even an album.

Bölzer was conceived in 2008 when vocalist and guitarist KzR returned from New Zealand to his native Switzerland and met drummer HzR. The two formed a formidable friendship and an energy that was not shared with the two or three bass players that they attempted to collaborate with at their start. The word 'bolzer' translates in German roughly as a striker in a game of football or an individual that hits something at force. However, in Swiss German, the male noun 'bölzer' is infrequently used formally and has a more violent connotation. KzR chose this word as his band's moniker as: "...it was ambiguous in that sense. I could apply it to a lot of lyrical themes and my philosophy in general." [1]

Demo 'Roman Acupuncture' (its title "a bit of an avant-garde term for crucifixion", laughs KzR [2]) was the world's debut exposure to this Swiss act and created notable ripples in the subterranean metal scene. Despite having just two members, Bölzer's three song emission was gargantuan and defiant in sound, hybridising death metal violence with black metal's devouring thick atmospheres. Opening against anguished shrieks and shouts, the first song and title track propels its listener into a nightmarish soundscape, not to dissimilar to that of Antediluvian or Mitochondrion although nowhere near as suffocating or maniacal in approach. The death metal riffs are akin to Bolt Thrower's belligerent style and the black metal comparable to a more focused and caustic Blut aus Nord yet with a style that would become recognisably idiosyncratic. The lengthier 'Soul Eclipse' boasts dirty death metal rhythmic riffs and black metal's subtler sense of foreboding in the guitar work, while cymbals interestingly take precedence over the bass drum. Closing number 'Zeus - Seducer of Hearts' is the finest moment on 'Roman Acupuncture', unabashedly drawing on the lightning theme the band employ. Guitar leads are clean and memorable while the almost despairing clean shout emerges in their strongest form on this song among the rasped growls. The release ends abruptly, clocking in at fewer than fifteen minutes long.

The following year would birth 'Aura', the first of two conceptual EPs, thematically concerning itself with male energies. Like its predecessor, Bölzer's sophomore effort was another three-pronged attack but significantly more sophisticated and multi-faceted than their demo. The guitar sound is crushingly thick, their black metal sentiments now more restless and peppered with an abrasive sludge approach. The pained clean wails return to punctuate the songs alongside the familiar rasps and guttural growls. HzR's drum work is explored more on this release and its organic sound compliments the muscular guitar tone. 'C.M.E.' is a torrent of battery counterbalanced with haunting music at a slower tempo, while 'Entranced by the Wolfshook' positions extremely heavy riffs interspersed by shrill guitar flourishes during its verses and 'The Great Unifier' explores hypnotic territories in its ten minute duration. In short, 'Aura' and its expansive riffs and relentless blastbeats yield an unforgettable listening experience that is content with tracing its own path, demanding repeated listens and rightfully forcing Bölzer into the underground metal world's consciousness and the subject of envious reviews.

Given the runaway success of 'Aura', 'Soma' released this year had titanic shoes to fill in regard to expectation. Mirroring 'Aura' and dealing with themes concentrating on female energy, 'Soma' is bisected into two tracks - 'Steppes' and 'Labyrinthian Graves'. The EP opens with KzR's raspy shouts and fresh (for the band) riffing that is heavy enough to feature in a brutal death metal song, isolated tremelo picking, spoken word narration and drumming centred on the rhythmic all surface in 'Steppes'. 'Labyrinthian Graves' is an introverted and cavernous number espousing a negative mood and takes its time unweaving its musical tapestry, more cerebral than the opening song. On both songs, the atmosphere remains consistently crushing or sinister throughout, acknowledging all of Bölzer's signature moves and steeped in an almost tangible atmosphere. 'Soma' is certainly less active than 'Aura', going for a cerebral and calculate approach rather than the dynamism of the first EP. The mood is direction is different but the Swiss two-piece remain as dynamic as ever and this release was still universally lauded.

2015 will see Bölzer release their first full-length album and KzR says of it: "The intention is to make a not very long full-length. For me a perfect album length is like 40 minutes. We’re not going to make an hour-long record. No way. It’ll be around the six or seven song mark. And there will be an exciting cover in there as well." [3] Given the pair's consolidation of mass approval in the metal scene and their impressive ability to redraw the the pre-conceived limitation of extreme metal, it is likely this album will appear in many best releases of 2015 lists.


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[1] Stereogum interview, 2014
[2] Noisey interview, 2014
[3] New Noise Magazine interview, 2014