By Steve Knapp / Instagram: @ElectricStoveMusic
If you’ve never heard of them before, yes, Botanist is a metal band that uses hammered dulcimers. There, I said it. We can move on with the review now. Because, amongst a world that’s seemingly on fire, this act put together a concept album about life and, well, how plants eat (albeit, from the perspective of a mad gardener). As the album title implies, this little number’s about photosynthesis, beginning to end, “Light” to “Oxygen.” Get it?
What I found interesting about this San Francisco-based black metal act’s latest effort is it’s both a stagnation and push forward. Much like my opinion seems like, well, an opinion and utter nonsense; it’s certainly not an indictment, however. So where does this “stagnation” come from?
Well, back in 2014 Botanist released Flora, which was a heavy exploration into a more experimental territory. The album pushed the band’s music past avant-garde black metal played with hammered dulcimers, it had space, it had sections that sounded downright jazzy, and it was absolutely engaging. It brought them in a new direction that set them apart from contemporaries.
It wouldn’t be until 2019 that we would see Botanist make another major push in their sound. This time in the overall production value. Listeners were treated to a fuller sound, a departure from the classic low cut sound of black metal. Drums boomed with reverb and each instrument found its own unique space.
So where does that leave Photosynthesis?
I somewhat regret using the phrase “stagnation” because of the negative connotation, but the songs offered up on this album do feel familiar to previous cuts. However, they take a huge step forward in that there’s an overall cohesiveness both within said songs and the album as a whole. And let me tell you, it creates the best listening experience ever brought forth from the band.
It’s beautiful.
Everything comes together exactly as it should, nothing feels extraneous, and much like the process of photosynthesis, every part has a place of grave importance. Songs like “Palisades” unfold in layers to reveal surprises that fill in gaps you might not have noticed needed to be filled. And most importantly, there is no gimmick to the instrumentation. The hammered dulcimers cover a sonic range that is downright satisfying to experience, leaving the perfect room for the intricately intertwined rhythm section and diverse vocals.
It’s avant garde. It’s progressive. It’s black metal. It’s anything but conventional. Is this the album that sends the band flying in a new direction? Absolutely not. What it does do is cement their sound as what it is in this exact moment. This is what Botanist is all about right now; the peak of who they are in 2020. Photosynthesis is the kind of album you tell your friends to go to first when getting into the band, because it showcases what they do best: they bring the madness of black metal together in beautiful layers.
To summarize using a plant analogy, where some might see metal as just the thorns, Botanist shows us the whole rose, delicate petals and all.
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