Being a Boris completist is a daunting task. One of the country's most prolific underground acts, this year the Tokyo three-piece have already issued their "New Album" full-length and "Klatter," a vinyl-only collaboration with Japanese noise-artist Merzbow. They are back again with their two latest releases, "Heavy Rocks" and "Attention Please."
With these two new titles, Boris continue to stray from their avant-garde metal past. While still a far cry from being a commercial rock band, Boris have begun to slowly creep onto the radars of mainstream hard-rock fans by crafting cuts that are becoming increasingly more accessible, while remaining exciting and innovative.
On "Heavy Rocks," a title Boris also used for another disc in 2002, the band revisit their roots with the Black Sabbath-inspired stoner anthem "Riot Sugar." Playful shouts usher in the explosive "Galaxians." Switching back and forth between trippy psychedelic rock and fast-paced punk, that track easily emerges as the most fun moment of "Heavy Rocks." The expansive melodies and muted guitar freakouts of "Tu, La La" wouldn't sound out of place on alt-rock radio, somewhere few would expect to hear a Boris tune.