Despite the vast expanses that can be accomplished without a guiding voice leading the way, it can sometimes feel as though metal can be afraid to take the listener on an instrumental trip that can still show us what the style can be even in the hands of the inexperienced. An inward journey that seeks transformation as much as transmutation of the flesh and spirit to become something unexpected, something more. Sure, we get instrumental greatness out of the likes of Clouds Taste Satanic, but such instances are few and far between in every instance. For their debut full-length album, Borehead delivers what few are either wont to deliver or simply can’t.

While every album made by every band ever delivers a unique experience from one person to the next, there is just nothing that can compare to when a voiceless bands comes forward, asks you to take their hand, and fall back into a world whose possibilities are truly endless as your imagination is the only limit. In no small way with nothing getting in their path, Borehead brings to the table a delectable array of flavors, captivation, and expansive rhythms the likes of which instrumental doom was all but crafted for. Across four tracks that clock in well over forty minutes in length such that there’s more than enough time for surprising flavors of psychedelic and stoner qualities to sink in and make for something nigh on engaging from top to bottom, Borehead should be exceedingly proud of what they’ve crafted through “Vita Est Morte Est Vita”. Utterly hypnotic even in its smallest moments, the sheer talent of Borehead is on full display for all the splendor that it offers as the band constantly acts you to discover, enter, understand, and become as the London act meanders through the human psyche with no clear goal or seemingly even an intended purpose. The journey is oftentimes said to be more important than the destination. No matter where you end up once you come to the other side of “Vita Est Morte Est Vita”, the impression left upon your psyche is simply undeniable.

This is what it means to tackle an instrumental approach with real finesse, talent, and a high level of craftsmanship that immediately sets you apart from much of the crowd. Whereas some might simply craft a normal song and then strip it of vocals, bands like Borehead are exemplary in taking the listener on a real journey of a kind that metal seems to seldom touch in this form. For all that’s delivered within, “Vita Est Morte Est Vita” is an experience that demands attention should you consider yourself even the slightest fan of instrumentalism.

LISTEN to “Vita Est Morte Est Vita” on Bandcamp here.

LIKE Borehead on Facebook here.