The proverb ‘barking dogs seldom bite’ means as much as ‘those who threaten are harmless’. But do you dare to completely trust a dog that bares its teeth in a deep growl? Although – as I have been told by connoisseurs such as Martin Gaus and Cesar Millan – there can be many different reasons why a dog decides to show its teeth, in most cases it is often seen as an obvious warning. ‘I’ll sink my teeth into you if you don’t back off.’
The American Baring Teeth probably did not choose their name by chance. The trio’s progressive, technical death metal is at least as menacing, grim and oppressive as the baring of teeth by a frenzied, rabid Doberman Pinscher. However, the trio from Dallas do not just warn and threaten, but bite ruthlessly, fiercely and immediately… and never let go for a moment. The band bites you mercilessly, clings to you with determination and you really can’t get away: a suffocating stranglehold is upon you.
The Path Narrows, which is Baring Teeth’s fourth album after Atrophy (2011), Ghost Chorus Amongst The Ruins (2014) and Transitive Savagery (2018), is opened by The Gate; a one-minute intro, consisting of a minimalist riff and moaning vocals, which creates an extremely ominous, oppressive impression. And that feeling really doesn’t fade away for a single moment. The band flies at your throat and holds you relentlessly and decisively. Halfway through the album (first part of Liminal Rite) and towards the end, when a resonance shows out final song Terminus, there is at most a moment to gasp for oxygen and to recover somewhat from the musical assault you have just undergone.
Dissonant harmonies, extravagant frenzy, raw, dark, repetitive and abstract patterns, flamboyant time signatures, biting blast-beat sections, claustrophobic riffs, weighty density, the swollen, Herculean roar (Culled, Wreath), dogged, ponderous parts (Terminus) … the entire arsenal of dissonance is poured out on you without mercy. There is simply no escaping the oppressive feeling; it takes you by surprise, and you – whether you want to or not – are overcome by it. But instead of wanting to shake off that feeling, break free from the oppression and escape from the muddle, it also offers plenty of intensity and afflatus. Eight compositions emerge from the unrestrained mishmash, requiring the listener’s attention, but once you manage to uncover the labyrinth of lines, you’ve got me an overwhelming album. An album rooted in extravagance, uninhibitedness and chaos.
The contrarian, labyrinthine, idiosyncratic Rote Mimesis is perhaps the finest example of what Baring Teeth brings you. It opens with seemingly randomly delivered, hallucinatory riffs, which suddenly reappear towards the end. Despite the jumble of conflicting riffs, the band does not let go of cohesion for a moment. This is twisted disorder at its maximum; delightful. The following Liminal Rite has about two subdued minutes before the violence resumes. It’s something the band uses more often; inserting just a moment where a bit of pace, doggedness and tenacity is taken back (end of Culled, Wreath, Terminus), while maintaining the intensity. Sometimes the moments are a bit sparse (Wreath), but just enough to bring the nuance enough. It keeps the intricacy from degenerating into too concentrated, too massive a sterility, but keeps the heavy-handed, terrifying coloring open enough to grasp.
The landscape of dissonant sounds has already seen many more than fine, impressive renditions this year (Anachronism, Mnira, Ὁπλίτης (Hoplites) and Thantifaxath, to name a few) and Baring Teeth also nicely raises its avant-garde head well above the surface with this The Path Narrows. Haunting, claustrophobic, extravagant, hallucinatory, immersive, uninhibited and twisted… the number of adjectives to accurately describe this unbridled cacophony is almost endless. So imposingly beautiful, so overwhelmingly beautiful. How narrow this path may be according to the band; I walk it with extreme pleasure and a big smile on my face. Mighty, mighty, mighty fine!
Score:
90/100
Label:
I, Voidhanger Records, 2023
Tracklisting:
- The Gate
- Obsolescence
- Culled
- Rote Mimesis
- Liminal Rite
- Wreath
- Cadaver Synod
- Terminus
Line-up:
- Scott Addison – Bass guitar, vocals
- Andrew Hawkins – Guitars, vocals
- Jason Roe – Drums
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