Good old Boris. The long-running, ultra-prolific Japanese noisemakers are firing on all cylinders on the contrary-soiunding NO, their 27th studio album (and third release in less than a year). On the menu: Their usual homegrown blend of plodding sludge dirges, hard-charging punk and hardcore salvos and cacophonous noise-rock maelstroms — all topped with a mix of torture-victim screams from singer-guitarist Takeshi, with the occasional hit of dark, sweet crooning from keyboardist Atsuo. Just say yes, dammit. Assuming you know what’s good for you.
THE PRESS RELEASE: “The title of this album is NO. People have a system whereby they unconsciously grow accustomed to things and adapt to them. But, this same system is also cursed in the way it allows inconvenient or troubling things to be disregarded as if they were never there to begin with and goes by other names such as ‘resignation,’ ‘subordination,’ and ‘forgetfulness.’ We renounce this system. ‘Is this something I felt on my own? Is this idea something I came up with on my own? Is this something I chose to act upon myself?’ Everything begins with questioning and denying oneself. That is the proper stance for people to adopt. Music and culture possess incredible power. The anger and discontent we had no outlet for in our youth shone through in our music, helping us to channel negative energy channeled towards creative ends and leading us to new means of expression and artistry. We hope this latest album can be a mirror that gathers and reflects people’s negative energy at a different angle, one that is positive. That is the power and potential of the dark, extreme, and brutal noise music that we have experienced up to this point. Today’s society is littered with words that may or may not be true, making it easy to want to just not listen to what anyone has to say. But, that’s all the more reason why we hope that you will at least open your ears to these songs sung in the language of another land. These shouts that have no proper meaning as words will help release the raw, unshaped emotions within you. This is ‘extreme healing music.’ “
