:: Bolus - Sonic Schematics

Bolus

On paper, Brisbane based act Bolus don‘t sound all that enticing. Fusing together elements of hard rock, metal, groove, funk and hardcore rap, my initial thought was that Bolus are either a band that failed to notice that their chosen sound is neither new nor all that current in today's scene. But after listing to their debut full-length effort 'Sonic Schematics’, it‘s quite evident that Bolus presents an entirely fresh spin on the whole rap/metal sound. The opening track 'Post Shop’ sees guitarist Robert Marchitto, bassist Damien Burge and drummer Radovan Matic lock into a unmistakable thumping Rage Against The Machine like groove, but it‘s vocalist Adam Douglass’ unique schizophrenic blend of everything under the sun out the front that really gives Bolus a sound unlike anything else.The more rock sounding influenced pair of ‘Burn And No Scrubba’ and ‘No Trusta Ya Fake Arse’ noteworthy tracks with choruses that progressively get heavier and really stand out, while the picks of the nine-track album come in the Kyuss/Queens Of The Stone Age rock sounding ‘Residual’ and ‘Carbonized Mind Dreadnaught’, both of which bleed pure energy, enthusiasm and attitude.The relatively short ‘Common Regalia’ and ‘Pourin Out Leaded’ draw out a little more of the band‘s funky edge within the heavy rock mould, while 'Back Alley Rally’ and ‘Unembryonic’ boast a hybrid of all the mentioned above genres to some extent, with choruses every bit as catchy as the remainder of the album.The rap/rock genre might have been a fad that‘s well and truly had its day, but with 'Sonic Schematics’, Bolus manage to dodge the standard clichés of the past and come up with something unique, interesting and definitely rocking.