The DevilsHorns

The 2^nd album by Sheffield blackened post-metal crew Ba’al is long. Over an hour long with a mere 6 tracks. This, you realise, makes for long tracks, with the shortest still being not far short of 8 minutes. In accepting this fact, you know that the songs need to entrance you, they need to welcome you into their narrative and hold you tight to their metal bosom.

For the most part The Fine Line Between Heaven and Hate achieves this. ‘Waxwork Gorgon’ is full of big meaty riffs, with vocals switching between magnificently deep grunts and traditional black vocals. ‘Floral Cairn’ has a progressive slant during the songs introduction, accompanied by robust drumming and a deep riff. Vocally, it switches from deep grunts through to high, Dani Filth style warbling.

It is this style of vocal that starts to grate after a while. Interestingly, The Fine Line etc. mixes vocal styles very effectively. Deep grunts accompany the high screeches, but it is the clean vocals that elevate the album. ‘Mothers Concrete Womb’ has clean vocals leading to a multi-layered track that impresses. ‘The Ocean the Fills a Wound’, on the other hand, has Bowie-esque vocals that lead to a more enjoyable experience.

Ba’al have provided an album that is, by the most part, enjoyable, but the potential overuse of the high screech-type vocals, does start to affect the overall experience meaning subsequent listens will be selective.

Perhaps the impressive deeper and clean vocals will dominate on future listens, so it is worth checking out for that.

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