Ba’al – In Gallows by Mass (Review)

Ba’al are a post-metal band from the UK and this is their debut EP.

This is emotive, lengthy post-metal, played with conviction and confidence by a band that obviously know what they want to accomplish with their music.

The press blurb says that this is for fans of bands like Isis, Cult of Luna, Deftones, Amenra, and Downfall of Gaia, and I can see that; In Gallows by Mass is a compelling post-metal mix of doom, sludge, post-hardcore, and metal. There’s even a pinch of black metal’s nefarious influence here and there, although this is not too pronounced.

Across the 30 minutes of material contained on this EP, Ba’al demonstrate what they’re capable of in no uncertain terms. The band have managed to craft music that has both heaviness and subtlety, combining intensity and emotive delivery, regardless of whether the distortion is crushing the listener or whether a more introspective and shaded route is being taken.

The band focus mainly on creating atmosphere with the songs, but do this with a mix of instant gratification combined with slower-burning post-metal dynamics. Melodic and atmospheric heaviness is a speciality of the band, but essentially everything they try their hands at on this release works out very well. Within the band’s wide-reaching framework, each song here is different and has its own ideas and themes, and all of them are very effective.

The vocals consist of both harsh screams and emotive cleans. Both are performed well and are filled to the brim with emotion and feeling, much like the rest of the music is.

The huge potential of Ba’al is obvious. This EP is a strong calling card in its own right, but I can’t wait to hear what they do next. Hopefully they’ll continue to develop and refine their already impressive skills, as based on In Gallows by Mass, the band have a lot to say and a lot offer.

Highly recommended, and definitely ones to watch.