CD REVIEW Faces Of Bayon

Band: Faces Of Bayon
Title: Heart Of The Fire
Label: Ragnarok Records
Distribution: Ragnarok Records
Release date: June 28th 2011
Review: CD

Faces Of Bayon are a Massachusetts-based trio with their roots in acts like Engorged, Twelfth Of Never and Scattered Remnants, amongst whom Matt Davis (ex-Twelfth Of Never / Labyrintheory), who died unexpectedly in January 2011. In mean time he’s been replaced by Matt Brown, by the way.
The concept album Heart Of The Fire will be released in 1,000 copies only and it was recorded live in the band’s home studio Cave Of Bayon. The six tracks, with a total running time of fifty two minutes (two of them clocking over ten minutes), stand for massive and droning Sludge with an enormous Doooooom-approach. Or is it sludgy Drone-Doom you want to call it? The sound (the mix and production were done by the band itself) is rough, barb wired and rusty, increasing the heaviness of each song tremendously. One might it compare to an eighties demonstration recording, probably, and maybe that’s a rather correct comparison, yet it just fits.
Because of the dense, oppressive and bleak atmosphere, caused by that higher-mentioned freezing sound and the horrific musical approach, Heart Of The Fire does not sound like the main part of the current Sludge and Doom-scene at all. No, Faces Of Bayon are not the most renewing act, and the main inspiration, the scene from the eighties and very early nineties, indeed sounds too dated. Yet again I object by explaining the positive opposite: the superb acid-laden creations, including the tempo-changes and breaks, done with attention for emotions and imminent balance. Besides, there are links, more than once, with the Stoner-scene and the psychedelic Seventies Rock scene, yet these are especially meant to colour the whole instead of taking a leading role.
Interfaces are random: Saint Vitus, Grief, Coffins, Esoteric, Cathedral, early Samael (!), Ocean, Burning Witch and one of Matt Smith’s former bands, Warhorse.
Excellent cover artwork by Hillarie Jason, by the way.

90/100

Ivan Tibos.