Album Review: Bevar Sea (2012)

By NEERAV GUPTA

Bengaluru-based Bevar Sea‘s new full-length made me explore the roots of heavy, sludg-y bands. Having heard the likes of Kyuss, Electric Wizard, Pentagram (the American band), I knew what stoner/doom metal was like. While reading through the band’s bio, there were names of influences the band wears proudly on its sleeve. One of them was Sleep. I got Sleep‘s music to try on a whim, not really expecting it to blow my mind or anything, but it completely did. I’m talking particularly about their last effort(s), the Dopesmoker/Jerusalem albums. The 63-minute-long song made for an intense listening experience, with its recurring motifs and groovy drumming. That took it to a different level altogether! It was heavy, as it should be. I realized then that one does not have to be fast or technical to make it sound brutal. These guys were doing ambitious music for their time, but were unlucky because the band split due to issues with the record label.

Bevar Sea brings in many of Sleep‘s qualities as an act. The slow heaviness, lengthy passages, and a desire to make true classic metal. They channel a melodic, bluesy sound in their riffs, like in ‘Universal Sleeper’. The concept of ‘Abishtu’, an outlaw biker who tortures hipsters at night is pretty cool too. The 17-minute long jam ‘Mono Gnome’ brings the 4 song album to a close. There are some audible production issues, like mic feedback and bad guitar tones in parts. An ambitious release, no doubt, with probably not many takers. In a time when kids in the country are getting into all kinds of trendy music, the band’s debut provides a much needed old-school and genuine heavy-metal vibe to the scene.