"Japanese metal luminaries Boris have announced an
ongoing archival series, culling various rare and out-of-print releases from
the band's past." - Consequence of Sound
Boris suddenly released their new album NO on July 3rd, then began to add series of past recordings to their Bandcamp page. Following the six works that complete their Archive as the first series (re-released August 7), now the second series of past recordings is unleashed and the mystery of Boris begins to unravel.
It has been known that Boris distinguished the direction of their works by the expression of their name, either in all capitals as “BORIS” or in all lowercase as “boris.” The second series for Bandcamp release is the thing which solomon overlooked, which is exemplary of the sound designated by the lowercase distinction. The series includes “1” “2” “3” and “extra.”
The works in this series were created at the time with a concept of “one brush stroke.” Rather than aiming at a vision of the completed work beforehand, this series started as releasing material just as it was created out of an organic process; from the instant resonance broke out from sound, a neutral stereo image was contained as it was. Boris also carried out the recording themselves, trials and experiments that continued in between tours when they could get into the studio. While these works could be said to be an originator of drone metal, they are also a great diversity of experimentation, a map trajectory of trailblazing range and method of expression, and can be said to be a scene of Boris’s workshop and the laboratory of their pursuit of sound.
Among these recordings, there are multiple compositions that have seen variations on other releases. Works from the lowercase representation have been put in action as uppercase BORIS, forming a counterpart and giving a peek into Boris’s process that continues to move forward. They are a band that is often said to change their sound with every album, but filling in the gaps, the key to unlock the secrets to the origins of each album could also be found.
Presently, as a result of COVID-19, playing live or going on tour has become quite difficult. During these times, many people accessing these recordings on Bandcamp have become a great support to the band. Please take this opportunity to listen.
Solomon “1”,”2” and “3” were released limited to vinyl only from 2004 to 2006 by European labels. 2013 saw a remastering of these to CD format, and at that time a new full album “extra” was added, and then released as the 4 disc “chronicle” box set. The original vinyl releases were pressed in extremely limited numbers, and at the time they were only sold directly from the labels or at live shows. Even among works representative of “boris,” the series has become quite rare and valuable.
Solomon “extra” was a new album recorded in 2013, comprised of a mix of precisely composed pieces and catchy songs. This work also contains the experimental approach characteristic of the lowercase “boris” period. Unraveling a clue into a recent release, participating as guest vocalist on “howl part 1” and “howl part 2” is Seiichirou Morikawa, whose vocals are also present on Boris’s recent collaboration with Z.O.A, “Refrain”. Michio Kurihara, a member of Boris as support guitarist at the time, also participated on these tracks. An extreme release traversing the realms of both J-Pop and Noise, this album could even be called the most experimental of the Boris catalog.
The artwork for the series comes from one simple drawing, but actually a lapse of time was drawn in each piece, amounting to an animation work through the album covers that is unparalleled in this world.
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boris - the thing which solomon overlooked details:
boris - the thing which solomon overlooked 1
Originally released in 2004 by the Finnish label “Kult of Nihilow”.
Transparent orange vinyl, limited to 550 copies. (Remastered on CD March 20, 2013)
1. scene 2 2. a bao a qu 3. 見せ続ける死角 -the dead angle which it continues showing-
boris: takeshi, wata, atsuo
recorded by fangsanalsatan mixed and originally mastered by soichiro nakamura at peace music 2004 designed by fangsanalsatan produced by boris
*2. This version of “a bao a qu” is different from the version released later on the 2005 album “mabuta no ura” as well as the 7-inch version released by SuperFi Records.
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boris - the thing which solomon overlooked 2
Originally released in 2006 by the Belgian label “Conspiracy Records”.
Transparent orange vinyl, limited to 700 copies. Transparent green vinyl, limited to 300 copies (sold at live venues only). (Remastered on CD March 20, 2013)
1. カレハテタサキ -no ones grieve part 2- 2. dual effusion 3. 無残の涙 -Merciless- 4. もう一枚の残像 -an another after image-
boris: takeshi, wata, atsuo
recorded by fangsanalsatan mixed and originally mastered by soichiro nakamura at peace music 2006 designed by fangsanalsatan produced by boris
*1. カレハテタサキ (karehatetasaki) -no ones grieve part 2- is an instrumental (no vocals), different from the 2008 “SMILE” version.
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boris - the thing which solomon overlooked 3
Originally released in 2006 by the Belgian label “Conspiracy Records”.
Transparent orange vinyl, limited to 700 copies. Transparent blue vinyl, limited to 300 copies (sold at live venues only). (Remastered on CD March 20, 2013)
1. leviathan 2. 思い出せないこと -dimly tale- 3. カレハテタサキ -no ones grieve part 1- 4. sola stone
boris: takeshi, wata, atsuo recorded by fangsanalsatan mixed and originally mastered by soichiro nakamura at peace music 2006 designed by fangsanalsatan produced by boris
*3. カレハテタサキ (karehatetasaki) -no ones grieve part 2- is a different version from “the thing which solomon overlooked 2” as well as the 2008 “SMILE” version.
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boris - the thing which solomon overlooked extra
On the occasion of releasing the remastered CD’s for “the thing which solomon overlooked” 1,2, and 3 on March 20, 2013, this work was added as a new album to the full series, a 4 disc set given the title “the thing which solomon overlooked chronicle”. Limited to 2 vinyl colors, clear yellow and wine red, 1000 copies were released together with a “chronicle” box from Minneapolis, USA based TAIGA Records. (First released on CD March 20, 2013)
1. 一秒の長さ -length of eternity- 2. ケモノピーク -kemono peak- 3. howl part 1 4. 宴 -unritual- 5. quadruplex 6. ディスチャージ -grave new world- 7. howl part 2
boris: takeshi, wata, atsuo
michio kurihara: guitar on track 3 and 7
seiichirou morikawa: vocal on track 3 and 7
nene & nana: vocal on track 3
recorded and mixed by fangsanalsatan 2013 mastered by soichiro nakamura at peace music 2013 designed by fangsanalsatan produced by boris
*6. ディスチャージ (Discharge) -grave new world- is different from the version found on the bonus disc of the Japanese release of NOISE (2014).
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takeshi: bass, guitar & vocal wata: guitar & echo atsuo: drums & vocal
guest vocal: seiichirou morikawa support guitar: michio kurihara
design: fangsanalsatan produced by boris
Boris, online: Official HP: https://www.borisheavyrocks.com Twitter: @Borisheavyrocks Instagram: @borisdronevil Facebook: @borisheavyrocks
