Now and again, you discover one of those records that you just cannot make your mind up about. You find your mind creates its own tug-o-war competition between whether you’re feeding it a stroke of genius or an over-complicated, directionless mass of confusion. This debut album from Polish extreme metal band Weresoul is one of those records.
In short, this is a metal record. There are clear elements of black, doom, progressive, folk, thrash, melodic and groove metal within its confines, and these are weaved together using horror scene sound effects and the cawing of a crow that never, ever seems to get shot or fly away. Once the music kicks in, the record begins with a sound akin to a cross between Mastodon and Watain (in fact the black metal sections are incredibly reminiscent of latter day Watain) but swiftly departs into a rather groovy and happy territory which, for me, almost echoed desert rock outfits such as QOTSA.
The production is precise (and huge) and the exceptionally busy bassline is exquisite throughout. Vocals can be raspy and reverberating, they can be strung out and airy, they can be chanting and pagan and then the odd word sounds vaguely similar to Vince Neil before he forgot how to sing. So, you may as well throw 80s glam metal in there as well.
I don’t often write reviews where I am not honest. But I honestly can’t be honest on this occasion. This self-titled debut is totally confusing and may or may not appeal to you as a listener. It will push your levels of eclectictibility (not a real word) to the maximum and I have no idea at all if you will be back for more or not. To that end, I would be very grateful if you would let my brain know as well.
7/10