Almost 20 years ago, Japanese heavy metal band, Boris, released their critically-acclaimed tenth studio album, “PINK.” This record has arguably some of the band’s most destructive and face-melting tracks they’ve ever put out, reaching a degree of aggression and intensity many bands dream of achieving.
The vinyl version of this record is especially notable, as it contains every song in its original, uncut state – unlike the CD and streaming versions. With the vinyl, listeners can experience the emotional-packed, devastating riffs on “My Machine,” and the absolutely ear-destroying second half of the near 20-minute “Just Abandoned Myself,” where the song gradually decomposes segment by segment until it wallows in pure noise. In this way, the song effectively “abandons” itself, just as the lyrics seem to describe abandoning one’s identity.
Aside from the monstrous tracks, “PINK” offers plenty of shorter, aggressive and distortion-filled noise rock, such as on the title track, “Afterburner,” and “The Woman on the Screen,” among others.
“Farewell” takes a more shoegaze-y approach, with heavy but slow guitar riffs almost smothering the drums and vocals, meshing everything into this hazy yet oddly beautiful soundscape. While its placement on the album can differ depending on which version one decides to listen to, it fits a lot better preceding “Just Abandoned Myself” – the album’s closer in every issue – both thematically and sonically.
“PINK” is a classic in the genre of noise rock, and it’s easy to see why. It has the perfect balance of aggression and emotion to make a sound that could otherwise come off as overly indulgent in its distortion and feedback into a hellish soundscape that sounds almost as alive as the musicians themselves.
Rating: 9.5/10