Boss Keloid – ‘Melted On The Inch’ EP Review

Tracklist:

1. Chronosiam

2. Tarku Shavel

3. Peykruve

4. Jromalih

5. Lokannok

6. Griffonbrass

The new Boss Keloid LP ‘Melted On The Inch’, on Holy Roar Records, will be with us on April 27th and clocking in at just over 41 minutes it feels more like a mini album or lengthy EP, but that isn’t really important. They are from Wigan and have been together since 2010. The line-up is Vocalist and guitarist Alex Hurst, Guitarist Paul Swarbrick, Ste Arands on Drums and Percussion, Matthew Milne on Keyboards and Bass player Charlie Seisay. Until now they have sadly passed me by but as a result of getting this EP to review I have been catching up on their excellent albums; ‘The Calming Influence Of Teeth’ (2013) and ‘Herb Your Enthusiasm’ (2016).

The music press loves them, in particular Metal Hammer and Kerrang. This album showcases Boss Keloid as a hybrid of the best of Prog Rock and the best of Metal. On paper that sounds like a strange combination but in reality it works so incredibly well. One moment you can hear hints of early Peter Gabriel era Genesis or Jethro Tull and the next they explode like Metallica. I don’t think that I have ever heard a band quite like Boss Keloid. Some online research tells me that they are revered and highly acclaimed in the Sludge and Doom genres. My favourite track here after a couple of listens is “Jromliah” which starts with a relatively soft keyboard refrain and builds into some mountainous vocals from Alex Hurst.

‘Melted On The Inch’ deserves your full aural attention when listening to it, at times the playing is electrifying but also deep and complex. But listening to it deeply really pays off as the tunes delve into your soul and plant their seeds there. From the extensive bombast of “Chronosiam” right through to the at times almost Funky Metal of “GriffonBrass” this collection ties you up and refuses to release you until it is over. It draws you in with its otherworldly and at times ethereal tones which if you listen to it on headphones in the dark, which I did (don’t ask!) gives you the feeling that you have travelled into a parallel dimension where Boss Keloid rule the world. I should confess though that I have no idea what the song titles mean but that does not deter from their excellence.