LAZARUS BIRD

Not too long ago I picked up a friend on a Sunday afternoon. He and I share musical tastes, except for the fact that he will listen Dimmu and Cradle of Filth all day long where as I would rather listen to Opeth. But that's another story altogether. He started talking about this Burnt By The Sun split 7 inch he acquired. He said there's this band on the B-Side called Burst that's rather bad ass. I laughed and said something about their name. He said either way I should check them out. So I checked them out.

My first Burst experience was Lazarus Bird and as soon as I heard the opening riff and subsequent vocals I knew that in a very short time I would be that guy telling people they should check out Burst.

This CD is nothing short of awesome. The mix of moods during each song. The mix of clean softness, old school hardcore elements, ambiance, oddity, and their own secret blend of metal keep your senses on high alert. The ambient guitar leads throughout are beautiful and bring pictures of a dark music box pulled from a Tim Burton film, complete with the broken ballerina clicking as it spins, mixed with that which would go perfectly behind a dusty desert scene in a Robert Rodriguez movie. But then again, the beginning of We Are Dust gives you a weird 2001: A Space Oddesy lonely, distant feeling.

I'm not sure if it's the power of suggestion but at times the music on Lazarus Bird seems to in fact burst right out at you. Case and point...Cripple God. The track change from 4 to 5 gives you a moment of silence. That silence is suddenly broken by a burst of aggressive guitars and vocals. But then the clean cuts in. Clean yet still driving thanks to the bright guitar work but even more so by drummer Patrik Hultin's use of the ride cymbal keeping the pace moving. And what's with the Swedes finishing the track with little chunk of long dusty Arizona desert music? Why the hell not!

Odd as it may sound, when the sax kicks in on Nineteenhundred I instantly think of the late LeRoy Moore playing in a New Orleans jazz band. But that's just me.

(We Watched) The Silver Rain is one of the longer songs on the CD and is perfect for those who like the longer tracks on say, BTBAM's Colors disc. The length allows for tons of changes, and with each change you're almost listening to another chapter of the song. The same holds true for the disc's closing track City Cloaked.

Lazarus Bird by Burst ranks high on my personal favorites of 2008. The guitar work is terrific. At times beating you to a pulp or driving you faster and faster and at other times it's reminiscent of Yes's Steve Howe. The ambiance it gives in the clean parts and the especially during the end of City Cloaked pull emotion from deep within you. The production is spot on and at times totally isolates the bass work where it almost forces you to listen to it's beauty. The vocals...Heavy and meaty but at the same time the only way to describe Jens Kidman's range is to compare it to that which is Mr. Patton's work on such classics as Angel Dust and Mr. Bungle's self titled disc. The drumming isn't the strong point of this band but it fits perfectly. It's came and did exactly what it needed to do.

With that, the only thing left to say is...

Ever hear of Burst? You should check'em out.

This album is prime progressive metal genius. There are long compositions with unorthodox and extraordinary approaches to songwriting. The album is brilliantly crafted, there is no doubt about it. The only problem some might have is the lack of clean vocals, but otherwise, the album is exceptional.

It seems a shame to me that not many people know this band from Sweden. They have unbelievable musicianship and too small a fan base than what that should entail. If any lovers of prog-metal out there stumble upon this review, Burst is absolutely a band that you should hear. With more support this band's genius could breach it's current borders and show everyone it's brilliance.

This band has definately improved in the latter of its years. It has advanced from a punk metal sound into a clearly progressive sounding ensemble. Their use of growl and clean vocals makes their ambient spectrum almost limitless. The vocals range from a deep baritone to an impressive soprano. The instrumental aspects of this band are clearly a powerful force. They use different instruments that are not seen in most metal and even the guitar tones are more rock sounding than metal. Some parts of the music sound like an ambient minimalist song which changes to a groove metal sound then to an underwater melotrone, comparable to Opeth.

The songs are all incredibly put together and showcase the band's articulate and captivating nature. The ones that truly stand out are We Watched The Silver Rain, I Hold Vertigo, and Cripple God as well as the melodically encompassing wanderings of City Cloaked.

Influences and similar artists of Burst's sound that I can hear are Porcupine Tree, Opeth, Isis, Mastodon, Dream Theater, Spock's Beard, Baroness and (vocally, at certain points) System of a Down. The band switches genres a lot, as mentioned before. There is always a metal undertone but there are so many extra elements fused into the work. Some are: Doom, Jazz, Thrash, Blues, Classical, Egyptian, Grindcore and use of augmented and unconventional chord structures.

I have to conclude that this album deserves, at the very least, a 4.8 out of 5. It has greatly influenced the music I produce and I hope it will take a similar effect on many others. If you don't appreciate this album as a great work of the progressive genre your head probably isn't screwed on just right.

Lazarus Bird represents a new wave in the tech/extreme metal side of prog. While maintaining a classic style of hardcore from previous releases they bring to the table a fresh outlook providing jazz guitar solos, single instrument sections and tranquill clean singing.

What the listener first notices about this album is the dramatic change in the quality of songwritting. No matter if the songs start off heavy or clean, there is always a sense that something is building up within the confines of the song's length. Perhaps the two best examples of this are the tracks 'We are Dust' and '(We Watched) The Silver Rain'. Not to say that the other tracks arent worth mentioning but there is just a special vibe to those particular songs, something makes you fall into a trance.

At times there are points when the vocals may become a bit stale, but that is what adds to the mystique of this album. You never really know when the next shift in sound is going to come and where its going to take you.

With a little more clean vocals this band can be shot to the top of the progressive metal world in 2010, since they already have the amazing songwritting skills nailed down.

Lazarus Bird represents a new wave in the tech/extreme metal side of prog. While maintaining a classic style of hardcore from previous releases they bring to the table a fresh outlook providing jazz guitar solos, single instrument sections and tranquill clean singing. What the listener first notices about this album is the dramatic change in the quality of songwritting. No matter if the songs start off heavy or clean, there is always a sense that something is building up within the confines of the song's length. Perhaps the two best examples of this are the tracks 'We are Dust' and '(We Watched) The Silver Rain'. Not to say that the other tracks arent worth mentioning but there is just a special vibe to those particular songs, something makes you fall into a trance.

At times there are points when the vocals may become a bit stale, but that is what adds to the mystique of this album. You never really know when the next shift in sound is going to come and where its going to take you.

With a little more clean vocals this band can be shot to the top of the progressive metal world in 2010, since they already have the amazing songwritting skills nailed down.

Lazarus Bird is one of those albums that I almost have to trip over before I remember I own it. But whenever I remember I do I'm stunned how good it is. Long intricate songs with techical and progressive riffs, and with melodies that are both complex and catchy enough to grant endured enjoyment. There's also lots of varations between aggressive parts and slightly spacey moody sections. Somewhere betwen Mastodon and Alchemist maybe?

I guess the reason why I need to be pushed to listen are the dry hardcore shouted vocals which are not my favorite unfortunately. It depens on my mood but somehow they come off as too one-dimensional, missing the diversity of a regular melodic voice and also lacking the fear, depression, madness and other jolly moods that death or blackmetal vocals seem to conjure up. But hey, it's nothing business, it's personal.

Another criticism I tend to have on my bad days is that these guys have difficulty convincing me of their proper identity, sounding exactly like 75% Mastodon and 'something else' for the remainder of the time. The two don't always interact to create a personal sound. Symptomatic is the track 'Cripple God', which consists of Mastodon for 4'40'' and then a nice spacey outro of 2 minutes that could have been from Alchemist or Pink Floyd but that has nothing to do with the rest of the song. Other songs like 'City Cloaked' merge their two sides more successfully.

Luckily for the band I don't have a bad today so I could fully enjoy their many strengths, as in fact, I believe they're better then Mastodon, if only for not annoying us with nasal clean vocals. Great album!

'Lazarus Bird' - Burst (8/10)

The fifth album by this interesting act in progressive metal, Burst originally began as a much rawer hardcore/metalcore act, but has since moved down a more complex and progressive path with their music. 'Lazarus Bird' is the first I had heard of this Swedish ensemble. Like many other bands in progressive metal ironically, Burst will easily draw some comparisons to other bands' sounds from the first listen onwards, but for what it may lack in distinct sound, it makes up in sheer power and energy. Although I have enjoyed very little metalcore I have listened to in the past, it is clear with 'Lazarus Bird' that Burst has risen beyond the confines of that genre to become something much greater. Put simply; 'Lazarus Bird' is an excellent album.

The sound here amounts to an organic mixture of riff-oriented metal, jazz, and complex song structures. While this pairing has been seen countless times before now, Burst distinguishes themselves by how well they merge the two into a cohesive sound. While some (quite famous) bands in progressive metal do tend switch between heavy and light moments to create a sense of dynamic in the music, the two are usually kept fairly distinct from each other. Burst can move from a sludgy riff barrage to a jazzy post-rock build up, and it feels completely natural. However, the quieter, more subtle side of 'Lazarus Bird' does shine quite a bit more than the metallic element. While the crunchy riffs and somewhat tired metalcore-derived shouts have their place and are quite above average for their style, the jazz aspect of Burst is quite a bit more interesting, keeping things both progressive yet melodic and beautiful to listen to.

Be that as it may, there is quite a bit of meat on the bones of the heavy sections. Although things usually amount to sludgy riffs, the songwriting stays tight, and need one even mention the drumming, which is quite simply excellent and greatly fitting of the style that Burst plays. At times there is a sense of rhythmic experimentation, but usually the progressive spirit of Burst is kept in the intensely successful dynamics. When drawing comparisons to the sounds of other bands, there is one that stands out more than any other, and a band I was constantly reminded of when listening to 'Lazarus Bird'. In virtually every aspect of Burst's sludgy element, they sound like a carbon copy of the American band Mastodon. Even though it feels like Burst does this style even better than Mastodon, the fact that Burst has not yet identified themselves with a truly unique sound makes it that much more difficult to regard 'Lazarus Bird' as a masterpiece, even though it has plenty of potential to be one.

Swedish band Burst is back with a new studio record. Three years after the last delivery, they return with a strong opponent for the amazing debut "Origo". Instead of playing safe and recording an "Origo Pt. 2", the quintet focused on composing "Lazarus Bird," a more mature and technical album, with lots of interesting details. If the confirmation had already been made with the previous album, "Lazarus Bird" is the step forward (or indeed, two steps forward, I would say). They are more progressive, more psychedelic, more attractive. The chaos / calm duality, strength / fragility, heavier sound / melody, remains present and undoubtedly omnipresent in this new collective effort. And I really mean collective effort because the whole band is at a higher level. The voice is much more versatile; the guitars are fabulous with superb riffs / solos / melodies; the rhythm section is powerful but always with that progressive and technical side. The fusion of Hardcore, Metal, Progressive Rock and Psychedelic Rock will please fans of Opeth, Mastodon, Porcupine Tree, Anathema, Amorphis, Isis, The Mars Volta, Botch or Coalesce, among others. Very good!

"Lazarus Bird" is the 5th full-length studio album by Swedish progressive post-hardcore act Burst. The album was released through Relapse Records in September 2008. It's the successor to "Origo" from 2005 and for now (march 2020) it's the final release by Burst as they disbanded in 2009 after completing their US tour supporting "Lazarus Bird". Burst lived relatively unnoticed in the underground in their formative years but when they signed with Relapse Records for the release of their third album "Prey on Life (2003)" things started rolling for the band and with "Origo (2005)" they further strengthened their profile and position on the scene.

In that light "Lazarus Bird" is actually a bit of a surprise, as it's probably the most progressive, adventurous, and challenging album by Burst. There's no compromise here, trying to cater to a more mainstream audience to gain commercial success. Instead "Lazarus Bird" is a statement of artistic integrity and the album pretty surely sounds exactly how Burst wanted it to sound like.

Burst were always a pretty adventurous post-hardcore act, and both "Prey on Life (2003)" and "Origo (2005)" are quite accomplished albums in terms of compositional sophistication and technical playing, but "Lazarus Bird" sees Burst take it to the next level. The 8 tracks on the 59:51 minutes long album average 7:30 minutes in length, and all feature many sections and musical changes. Burst are an incredibly well playing band and they of course execute the complex tracks with ease. The rhythm section is strong, powerful, yet organic, the two guitarists compliment each other well throughout the album with layered counterpoint riffs and melodies, and on top are the harsh shouting hardcore vocals by Linus Jägerskog. Burst started toying with clean vocals on "Origo (2005)" and that element is continued on "Lazarus Bird". Sometimes "regular" clean vocals and sometimes effect laden clean vocals.

While the tracks are relatively complex and the uncompromising nature of the material should be praised, I'm not so sure I think the band went down the best possible road on "Lazarus Bird". The tracks often lack the immediate aggression and impact of the material on the two direct predecessors, and at times Burst sound like they experiment with the songs and their sound for the sake of it, and not because a particular part fits the track. So while "Lazarus Bird" is certainly an interesting listen, and it's overall a well played, well produced, and well written release, it's also compositionally a bit incoherrent (ideas seem to come from left and right), and the tracks could have prospered from a more strict musical direction and maybe some culling. It's still a high quality release though and a 4 star (80%) rating is deserved.

(Originally posted on Metal Music Archives)