Bacchus - II (2023)

Unleashing a very hypnotic and highly atmospheric beast, today we have France’s Bacchus and their debut full-length release “II”. With a very interesting and oppressive sound, this band sounds a bit like The Ruins of Beverast meets Urfaust meets Fluisteraars. For six tracks and nearly 35 minutes, the band haunts the listener with piercing compositions that are both mysterious and highly disturbing.

Opening with the atmospheric funkiness of “II.I”, the band quickly sets a very hypnotic tempo that is nicely amplified by (very) weird vocal arrangements that create a very oppressive atmosphere. The atmospheric synths and samples give a certain Germ/Galaktik Cancer Squad and create some truly unique and disturbing soundscapes, as delivered by “II.II” and “II.III”.

There is a certain dreamy weirdness that the guitars throw into the band’s mix, at first they seem a bit drowned into the mix, but as “II.IV” comes along, they come fully alive alongside a crafty bass guitar line. After more than a few dozen spins, it is evident that the guitars are drowned in the mix, but rather the listener’s focus is on the atmospheric and dissonant vocals, quite a cool effect.

As the release closes with the lushness and intensity of our favorite “II.V” and the melodramatic edge of “II.VI”, we are left quite surprised with the band’s unique take on the genre and excellent combination of familiar influences into a very unique and expansive aural experience in “II”. Bacchus is one of those Atmospheric Black Metal bands that immediately standouts out thanks to their punishing and highly melancholic sound, definitely recommended for any fan of the genre.

Label: Debemur Morti

Release: April 7th, 2023

Genre: Atmospheric Black Metal

Country: France