THE EXTENT OF DAMAGE

The third album by the Belgian post-rockers BATTLESTATIONS won't let down any of those who have enjoyed their previous albums. - Know what? I wish I hadn't just viewed - partly fast-forward - the video for 'Necro' (12:41), which is for you all to see in a Forum page. Until that I was able to ignore the disturbing imagery of the band, including the arty but deeply depressing b&w photography in the leaflet, while listening to the music. Now it's going to take some time again before the track won't be associated in my mind with the rather disgusting video, which is visually related to "Un Chien Andalou" by Bunuel & Dali, or to the mysterious videotape film in "The Ring" movie. Except that it's much bleaker than either of them and doesn't have equally captivating surrealistic stream of various images and motifs. But I'll try to concentrate to the music now.

The music is sad, slow, abstract, cinematic, and in a way it resembles 20st century orchestral music (a requiem perhaps), only with the possibility to hear the electric rock instruments and drums from the majestic wall of sound. All the preceding reviews are very detailed and some of them take the track-by-track approach. I won't do that, instead I just say that this album can be played as a soundtrack to one's own stream of consciousness, and the 45 minutes can pass in an instant that way.

As said, it's deeply sad and dark, but not disturbingly so. I think a skillful film maker could do a silent film of almost any serious-enough subject and use this music to increase the emotional impact. In other words, I do find beauty in it. One especially effective moment is around the 8th minute of 'The Great Divide', with the arrival of a solid rhythm.

I don't know how they create their music (still the musicians and instruments are left unnamed) and how they themselves feel the world - hopefully not as black & white as their imagery is - but their musical language is genuinely balanced and deep. Music for the mind in the best possible sense. Four stars deserved again.