Bauda – Euphoria…Of Flesh, Men and the Great Escape (2012)

Hailing from Chile, today we have the folk version of Alcest: Bauda. This three-piece ensemble creates a very majestic unique sound when combining brilliant Post-Rock/Metal structures with lush acoustic guitars. “Euphoria…Of Flesh, Men and the Great Escape” is one of those releases that catches your attention thanks to how well-crafted the music is and how the atmosphere draws you into the band’s sound.

Opening with a very straight forward Post-Rock/Metal track titled “Ghosts of Phantalassa”, the band wastes no time and after the momentum is built, tracks like “Humanimals” and “Silhouettes” beautifully combine the aggressive Post-Metal sections with the lush Folk elements, something we haven’t quite heard before and Bauda deserves props for taking a daring risk and pull through successfully. With these two tracks clocking at around 20 minutes, the album really pulls all the stops since the opening songs featuring a little bit of everything neatly packed in cohesive songs.

Post-Rock/Metal is characteristic for creating beautifully crafted atmospheric/melodic passage and when aided with excellent Shoegaze guitars, tracks like “Oceania” are extremely delightful. There are also plenty of non-traditional playful sections that show the band’s adventurous side and they all work wonders when incorporated, like the interesting percussions on “Oceania”. Our favorite track is the cinematic “Acension” and its brilliant mood changes with some nearly Jazzy section. The band’s clean vocals are top notch and allow the songs to breath just enough so we all keep enjoying the majestic atmospheres crafted.

Closing with the experimental mostly atmospheric piece “…Mare Nostrvm? (El Llanto de Quintay)”, the band fully shows it’s only flaw: they seem to not be very concerned with how the album flows as a whole and songs seem placed randomly since they don’t connect very well. Other than this, we can’t stop but praising this excellent band and their unique and different sound. We love how the band seamlessly fuses different influences into one hell of an melancholic release. Totally recommended for fans of Alcest, Les Discrets, so buy with confidence since you won’t be disappointed.

Release: May 2012

Genre: Post-Rock/Metal with Folk elements

Country: Chile