Botanist

Ashenspire – Hostile Architecture Review

Ashenspire – Hostile Architecture Review

By Dolphin Whisperer on July 20, 2022 in Reviews, Black Metal, Post-Metal, Progressive Metal, 69 comments

“If you live in any major metro, you are familiar with the problem of homelessness and the effect it has had on how we enjoy our spaces, or rather, how others don’t. Hostile architecture—rails in the middle of park benches, rocky floors below awnings, incessantly flashing lights in seemingly empty corners—is a mainstay of contemporary urban design and aims to ensure that public features are for temporary public enjoyment, not temporary public shelter. Ashenspire has noticed too, and, with all the subtlety of a hippo eating a watermelon, this Glaswegian gang has chosen to use Hostile Architecture to highlight various issues.” Brutalism for the brutal.

Cailleach Calling – Dreams of Fragmentation

Cailleach Calling – Dreams of Fragmentation

By Twelve on March 12, 2022 in Reviews, Atmospheric Black Metal, 12 comments

“When an experienced musician, or musicians, begins a new project, expectation is a tricky part of the equation. After all, a new project is a new project, with all the bumps, twists, and booby traps associated with starting something new, regardless of the experience of its creator. I muse on this because Dreams of Fragmentation, our super-atmospheric black metal album for the day, is the debut full-length for Cailleach Calling, which itself is formed of Tony Thomas and Chelsea Murphy of Dawn of Ouroboros, whose debut full-length floored the Master of Muppets and left a lasting impression on a good number of you, alongside Yurii Kononov, formerly of White Ward.” Great expectations and fragments of dreams.

Thief – Map of Lost Keys Review

Thief – Map of Lost Keys Review

By Emya on July 23, 2019 in 2019, American Metal, Avante Garde, Black Metal, Electronica Metal, Prophecy Productions, Reviews, Black Metal, Electronica Metal, 31 comments

“Thief is the pet project of Dylan Neal, a dulcimer player (dulcimist?) for the unconventional experimental black metal band Botanist. Thief’s music takes on a different theme entirely, however, from Botanist’s quirky style of environmentally themed “green-metal.” Map of Lost Keys, Thief’s sophomore album, swaps the hammered dulcimer for a myriad of electronics to produce late night music designed for haunted ballrooms and electric churches. While no traditional black metal demon shrieks or vicious tremolo picking can be heard on Map of Lost Keys, Thief remain obstinate in their attempt to appeal to fans of heavier genres.” Mischief managing.

Botanist – Collective: The Shape of He to Come Review

Botanist – Collective: The Shape of He to Come Review

By Eldritch Elitist on September 4, 2017 in 2017, American Metal, Avantgarde Music, Black Metal, Reviews, Black Metal, 33 comments

“While some avant-garde bands attempt to breach genre boundaries by removing as many traditional melodies and discernible rhythm patterns as possible while still qualifying as music, these Californians take an experimental approach by simply modifying the tools of the trade. By swapping six-string guitars for the obscure yet beautiful hammered dulcimer, they practice modern black metal on a structural level with a completely unique sound capable of moments more beautiful and more terrifying than one is likely to find anywhere else in the genre. Collective: The Shape of He to Come, their seventh LP in as many years, is an attempt to further not only the boundaries of the scene but also their own aesthetic.” Bring down the hammer!

Lotus Thief – Rervm Review

Lotus Thief – Rervm Review

By Roquentin on November 26, 2014 in 2014, American Metal, Avante Garde, Reviews, Svart Records, Experimental Metal, Space Metal, 3 comments

“I must admit I was pretty excited when I first read about San Francisco’s Lotus Thief, a duo consisting of musicians that are also members of Botanist. The promo blurb and various press snippets mentioned buzzwords like “space metal”, touches of avant-garde, and experimentalism which was enough to tickle my interest. Knowing how great the music from their other project was, I dug into Lotus Thief’s debut Rervm with a lot of expectations.” Expectations are a lot like chocolates. Too many make you die and otherwise ruin shit.