Though Boris has been steadily releasing albums since 1996, there will always be a before and after Pink for the band. Formed in Tokyo in 1992, Boris has released 29 studio albums, 14 EPs, and seven live albums since its inception. However, Pink remains their zenith, a sprawling 47-minute masterwork that marries sludge metal with aspects of both shoegaze and ambient.
Released by Relapse Records on October 17 for its 20th anniversary, along with a deluxe edition of 1995 record dronevil, this reissue of Pink not only allows fans to procure a vinyl copy at an affordable price, but also presents the original CD track order for the first time on LP.
Like contemporaries such as Sleep and Baroness, Boris expanded what could be included in a heavy metal template, allowing for crossover success. Pitchfork awarded the record “Best New Music” upon its release and ranked Pink its ninth best album of 2006. Meanwhile, this very publication called it “crazy [and] gorgeous.”
Two decades later, those two words are an apt description for a record that defies definitions. By turns both hypnotically atmospheric and face-shreddingly aggressive, Pink succeeds in that it can appeal to fans of multiple genres. For those who love My Bloody Valentine, the album is fuzzy and pensive with its vocals floating just beneath a layer of gauzy feedback. But for those who love psychedelic freakouts a la Acid Mothers Temple, there are moments where Boris tears away the veil and lets things rip.
Even after 20 years of listening, Pink remains dizzying and elusive. As the tracks weave from knee-deep sludge (“Blackout”) to rip-snorting to psychedelia (“Electric”) to gentle ambient (“My Machine”), they still feel of a piece, which is nothing short of an alchemic miracle. Somehow the trio of Wata, Takeshi, and Atsuo found a way to make it all work. They also save the best for last. Final track, “Just Abandoned Myself” is a 10-minute culmination of everything to come before it. This absolute face-punch features fiery guitars exploding with chunky riffs and anthemic vocals that could be at home on a Wipers record. It’s one of the many spots on the record that perfectly fuses the power of metal with the avant sensibilities that push Pink beyond being a sludge album. Take a listen. Twenty years have done nothing to reduce the record’s ferocious impact.