Ba’al – Soft Eyes (Review)

This is the latest EP from UK blackened post-metal band Ba’al.

I was introduced to Ba’al on 2017’s In Gallows by Mass, but it wasn’t until 2020’s colossal debut Ellipsism that they truly came into their own. Four years on from that record, Ba’al return with the three-track EP Soft Eyes, which brings us 27 minutes of new material.

Ornamental Doll starts things off heavy and emotive, with a colourful blend of blackgaze and sludge, not to mention some evocative strings that work with the distortion very nicely. The caustic screams and dark roars of the singer are good to hear, and there’s also Gothic, Paradise Lost-meets-post-punk-feel that I wasn’t expecting. It ends with a noise workout that lasts a bit too long for my taste, but apart form this, Ornamental Doll is a doomy feast to savour, and showcases Ba’al’s increasingly multifaceted sound well.

The second track – Yearn to Burn Bright – is the shortest, but the most atmospheric and compelling. Opening with a textured string-enriched percussive delight that’s instantly arresting, when the heaviness comes in it’s via jagged riffs that sound like massive sheets of iron. Yep, this is powerful stuff. Expressive melodic black metal elements creep in, slowly building majesty until some of the latter parts of the song recall older Cradle of Filth in grandeur and impact.  Yearn to Burn Bright is a masterclass in combining killer riffs with burning atmosphere.

Bamber Ridge closes the release with a shimmering ethereal soundscape that builds with post-rock grace, until it erupts into a heavier version of itself. The piercing screams and melodic darkness work themselves hard, bringing a barely restrained emotive belligerence to play that brims with violent potential. Rather than exploding into frenzied aggression though, the music takes a more restrained atmospheric route. It’s resplendent with melody, underpinned by tense expectation, yet travels laterally, with a blackgaze-in-essence mix of metallic shading and colourful sludge.

On Soft Eyes Ba’al have once again demonstrated that they are one of the gems in the UK metal scene. This is damn good stuff, and really bodes well for the future.