UK post-black metal torchbearers Ba’al have just unleashed their most ambitious and emotionally charged work to date: The Fine Line Between Heaven and Here, now streaming in full at No Clean Singing ahead of the release date set for tomorrow, July 18 via Road To Masochist.
Listen to the full album here.
No Clean Singing praises the album, saying: “As displayed on The Fine Line Between Heaven And Here, Ba’al’s ambitions are enormous, and they ask a lot of time and attention from listeners. But there’s a big payoff: All the performers are excellent, the songcraft and the production display intense attention to detail, and the music in all its peaks and troughs, all its ebbs and flows, all its traversing through bleak urban canyons and green shades, all its heart-sinking and heart-lifting moods, is thoroughly captivating.”
Less than a year after the release of their critically acclaimed EP Soft Eyes, Sheffield post-black metal quintet Ba’al now return with their most ambitious work to date.
The band’s forthcoming second album, The Fine Line Between Heaven and Here, was produced, engineered, and mixed by Joe Clayton at No Studio, mastered by Brad Boatright at Audiosiege, and is set to be released on July 18th via Road To Masochist.
Recorded during the same sessions as the Soft Eyes EP, the album shares both sonic and thematic threads, with the addition of synths and strings further enhancing the band’s expansive and captivating sound.
Bassist Richard reflects on the overall album: “We’ve learned and grown a lot as a band in the years since our first album was released, and The Fine Line… really feels like an important milestone in that process. We poured a lot of ourselves into this, both musically and lyrically, and really pushed ourselves to both try some new things and refine the best of what has already made Ba’al what it is. This album has been a very long time in the making and we’re extremely proud of all the work we put into it. We can’t wait for people to hear it.”
Formed in 2016, Ba’al quickly became a cornerstone of Sheffield’s heavy music scene, winning the Bloodstock Metal 2 The Masses competition on their first attempt. Their standout performance at Bloodstock Festival led to an invitation from legendary producer Russ Russell (At The Gates, Dimmu Borgir, Napalm Death) to record the crushing single Thy Sorrow at Parlour Studios.
Following two EPs and their 2020 debut album Ellipsism (Clobber Records), Ba’al embarked on UK tours with Gozer and Ofnus, earning a reputation for emotionally intense, genre-blurring live shows.
Meanwhile, the band is preparing a UK tour and has been confirmed to perform at this year’s Bloodstock Festival at the Sophie Lancaster Stage.
Ba’al
Bandcamp: https://baalbanduk.bandcamp.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/baalbanduk
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/baalbanduk
