Angry Metal GuyBa’al – The Fine Line between Heaven and Here Review
By Angry Metal Guy
By: Nameless_n00b_605
Post-anything is a tough genre to pin down. Does the music eschew genre trappings, rightfully identifying as post in the way it challenges previous norms? Or does it draw from the well that identifies as post, infusing itself with spacey tremolo riffs, heavy atmosphere, and lengthy, non-traditional tracks? If the Sheffield UK post-metallers Ba’al have anything to say, it is the latter. Ba’al showcases some real talent and variety with epic song structures and quality attempts at sampling numerous genres throughout this LP. But, with The Fine Line between Heaven and Here, I ask myself after each track, if variety is the spice of life, why does this album end up sounding so predictable?
Ba’al as a unit is impressive. Nick Gosling’s guitar work is superb, deftly switching genres on the fly, and there is skill to Ba’al’s ability to be a chameleon. Joe Stamp’s vocals are equally agile, as he seamlessly transitions from throat-searing black metal screeches to raspy death metal howls, all while infusing the more emotive elements of the album with heart. Each of these is served well by The Fine Line between Heaven and Here’s production, allowing the post-rock interludes to breathe while the massive riffs hit hard. My only real qualm is that the lovely bass that is present on their previous LP Ellipsism, is hiding away beside standout moments such as on “The Ocean That Fills a Wound.” While all the individual elements are strong and make for a cohesive track filled with variety, the band continuously returns to that same well across the album. Tracks begin to blend into one, amorphous serving of genre-blended pea soup. The first track feels the same as the last from an emotional perspective, leaving the album feeling one-note despite the variety on display.
Ba’al consistently combines black metal, post-rock, and death metal infused with hardcore (think Fuming Mouth, Gatecreeper, and Creeping Death, etc.), and even some indie rock musings across their second LP. The previously mentioned opening track, “Mother’s Concrete Womb,” encapsulates what Ba’al is doing and sets expectations for the rest of the album. Emotional piano and post-rock musings lead into more typical black metal sections that bring to mind blackgaze stalwarts Deafheaven. Ba’al surprises and delights with the sudden introduction of the aforementioned hardcore death elements. These moments are a highlight, and massive, chunky riffs make frequent appearances across the album.
The track “Well of Sorrows” is a perfect microcosm of how The Fine Line between Heaven and Here misses the mark. Eleven minutes long and sandwiched with interstitial post-rock that feels part Russian Circles and part God Is an Astronaut. No particular element hits as hard as its genre inspirations. The black metal sections are competent, the death metal riffs are groovy but lack memorable hooks, and to tie a neat bow on all of this, Ba’al consistently resorts to emotional clean singing and borderline spoken-word segments that made me think more of The National’s Alligator and Boxer era. The clean moments are effective in tracks like “Mother’s Concrete Womb,” “Wax Gorgon,” and “The Ocean That Fills a Wound,” but they can be grating and… very British (Joe Stamp’s accent comes through heavily here), for lack of a better word. This part of the album will be divisive, I imagine, and your mileage may vary.1
Ba’al is not without talent or promise; The Fine Line between Heaven and Here is a hair’s breadth away from greatness, a fact that only highlights where it falters. The Tracks “Legasov,” and “Waxwork Gorgon” are examples of tighter song structures that get right into the good stuff with memorable opening riffs and a lot of the fat trimmed from the post-rock and black metal elements. The album could cut at least fifteen minutes to give it more impact. Even the cleans should stay, but I would love to see them lean more into melody and less into spoken word or downright wailing like on “Well of Sorrows.” The intro of “The Ocean That Fills a Wound” starts in the right place with lulling, rhythmic vocals leading into a brutal explosion of blasting black metal.
The variety and talent end up being a double-edged sword for Ba’al, as what starts as impressive quickly grows predictable. If you like what Ba’al is serving up, you will have a nearly 63-minute slab of post-black metal to nourish you, but if the initial track isn’t for you, don’t expect the rest of the album to change your mind. Despite my negativity, it is from a place of love. Ba’al is an undoubtedly talented band on the cusp of true greatness. If they can edit their songs a little and lean into their best qualities, the next album may be a genre great.2
Rating: 3.0/5.0
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3
Label: Road to Masochist
Websites: baalbanduk.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/baalbanduk | instagram.com/baalbanduk
Releases Worldwide: July 18th, 2025
#2025 #30 #BaAl #BlackMetal #BritishMetal #CreepingDeath #Deafheaven #FumingMouth #Gatecreeper #GodIsAnAstronaut #Hardcore #Jul25 #Metalcore #PostMetal #Review #Reviews #RoadToMasochist #RussianCircles #TheFineLineBetweenHeavenAndHere #TheNational
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