A transcendent and visceral experience is always possible in the world of metal when you’re met with an act that’s as daring as it is effective in its own weird craft. Few things can compare to when it’s all brought together in a magnificent form with bands like Cult of Luna rightfully receiving wide acclaim as they find nothing but gold in such an approach with their particular sound. What if you took a different direction, though? A shift towards the darker and more malicious side of it all that is as hungry for the very marrow of the soul but still showing you the beauty in oblivion; a mean feat. In no small way, Bolt Gun delivers such macabre grandeur with its third full-length album.

Whereas many would use a vessel that’s even remotely related to post-metal as an expansive piece that explores plenty of sonic territories and light, listening to this album really gives the impression that Bolt Gun went as far in the other direction as they possibly could. An obtuse creation that relishes in setting up for the kill in a damp, dark atmosphere that never dissipates for the whole of its runtime, “The Tower” is intimidating from the very beginning with practically every facet of the record working to diminish the purity of the soul, siphoning all of its vigor and substance until naught is left but a hollow shell. Bolt Gun’s powerful brand of oppression that deals in uncompromising power that feels downright schizophrenic for much of the runtime with the infusion of heaviness alongside a brilliantly dynamic saxophone that is effortlessly able to be as unsettling as it can be grounding with how easily it’s able to shift in the blink of an eye. Not a single moment of “The Tower” goes without some sort of tax upon the spirit as Bolt Gun makes it clear at every given turn that this is not meant to be an easy listen.

You could very well assume that this is the sort of record that delves into the depths of the abyss seeking only the blackest reaches with nothing but desolation in mind, the three-dimensional nature of “The Tower” says otherwise. While the album is more than willing to shed the flesh that comes with this mortal coil to come closer to some grand forbidden truth, there is salvation through suffering to be found should you endure the trial to achieve it. Nowhere else is that more evident in the finale which stands as an ambient send-off where you’re left floating in the void with Bolt Gun’s fading power and presence the force that propels you onward even long after the last vocal offensive diminishes into nothingness. Hardly tethered to the physical realm anymore, the essence of “The Tower” is something that cannot be denied by the end of the potent record with it offering not just a release from pain and suffering, but enlightenment through those very trials.

This is what happens when the darkest brand of catharsis meets the unashamed joy in exploring the depths of the human soul that many are scared to even dare look upon. What Bolt Gun has pulled off here can’t be seen as anything short of a terrific display of grandeur that is nigh-on intimidating to witness yet rewarding once you commit yourself to the harrowing journey. The many layers of “The Tower” are not to be underestimated in any form lest it crush you by its terrific weight.

“The Tower” releases on September 15th via Avantgarde Music!

LISTEN to “The Warren”, the forerunner to “The Tower”, on Bandcamp here.

LIKE Bolt Gun on Facebook here.