Article by: Leanne Ridgeway
BA’AL, the blackened post metal/sludge quartet from Sheffield, U.K. has a new album, ‘Ellipsism,’ due out at the end of October from Clobber Records.
As rich as we may be in gold and silver, as warmly surrounded by the comforts of love and companionship, ahead of us there is but the poverty and cold solitude of the tomb. The specter of our demise haunts the periphery of our vision with every step we take, whispers promises of decay as each frittered second slips through our grasp. The prescience of death is a shawl of ice about our shoulders even beneath the heat of the summer sun. The end is ever near and as loudly and vivaciously as you live, you cannot drown out the eternal, empty silence of the void.
‘Ellipsism‘ is the sense of sadness and melancholy that accompanies intimations of one’s own mortality, the quiet heartbreak that comes with the realization of all the futures you will never see. It’s also the perfect title for the full length debut album from Sheffield blackened post metal sorcerers of sorrow, BA’AL. Having forged their sound in the fires of a Bloodstock festival appearance, live shows with Downfall Of Gaia, Conan, Gnaw Their Tongues, Fen, and more, with two EPs – 2017’s ‘In Gallows By Mass‘ and 2019’s ‘Reverence‘ – as well as the towering “Thy Sorrow” single recorded at Russ Russell’s Parlour Studios (At The Gates, Dimmu Borgir, Napalm Death, etc.) the time has come for ‘Ellipsism‘.
The unmistakable, impassioned howl of vocalist Joe Stamps (Hecate Enthroned) tears through the suffocating shadows of broken hymns like “Father, The Sea, The Moon” and soft, deep waves of cruel despair wash around your heart on “III-II-MMIII” and album closer “Rosalia“. This is an album that will swallow you, engulfing you in the fear-tinged sadness whose name it bears.
At times raging fiercely at the futility of the human condition at others, simply desolate… ‘Ellipsism‘ is a powerful maelstrom of dark emotion, touched with moments of remarkable beauty, that will leave no listener unaffected.
Tracklist:
01. Long Live
02. An Orchestra Of Flies
03. XIV – I – MMXIX
04. Jouska
05. III – II – MMIII
06. Tarred And Feathered
07. Father, The Sea, The Moon
08. X – I – MCMXCII
09. Rosalia
‘Ellipsism‘ was recorded in March of this cursed year with Joe Clayton (Pijn, Wren, Leeched, etc.) and will be released on October 30th by the rapidly rising champions of the extreme, the individual, and the creative – Clobber Records. This is an album to take note of, to be grateful for, to sweep up and clutch to your heart as it inspires reflection and shakes the illusionary foundations of existence.
The new ‘Ellipsism‘ album from BA’AL will be available on CD Digipak, limited edition cassette tape (dark grey or purple), and digitally. Pre-order is open HERE.
BA’AL:
Joe Stamps – Vocals
Richard Spencer – Bass
Nick Gosling – Guitar
Luke Rutter – Drums
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Updated 10/29 with full album stream:
