The Third Eye

Bismut is a heavy psych trio hailing from the city of Nijmegen in the Netherlands that’s been gaining steam in the heavy underground since forming in 2016. Like many heavy psych rockers, the band blends prog rock, doom, metal, stoner, and classic rock into their own sound, and they’ve been especially noted for an explosive live performance.

Bismut has returned with a new record, Ausdauer, which will be released on October 20th via the band’s current Dutch label, Lay Bare Recordings, and the Spanish label Spinda Records. Ausdauer is Bismut’s third full-length album following the success of their sold-out previous releases, Schwerpunkt in 2018 and Retrocausaility in 2020. The massive sound of the new album is good for fans of other heavy psych and metal acts like Rotor, Karma to Burn, Mastodon, Electric Moon, Kanaan, and SLIFT.

About Ausdauer and Bismut

Bismut makes some grand promises in speaking of the new record, saying:

“This album promises to be a sonic journey that delves even deeper into the band’s diverse influences while pushing their sound to new heights. From thunderous, doom-laden riffs to mind-bending psychedelic explorations, the album seamlessly weaves together a tapestry of textures that will resonate with long-time fans and newcomers alike.”

Having made some noise in the heavy underground since 2016, Bismut is hoping for a wider and more international audience with Ausdauer. The partnership with Spinada Records is part of that push, but so is the music itself on the new record. After having listened to Bismut’s previous two records, I’ll say that the sound doesn’t break much new territory but delivers the massive, punishing riffs that many stoner rock fans will like. Maybe that’s the point: give the people what they want, right?

The Songs

Bismut follows a similar formula and one that can be found throughout much of the stoner/heavy psych scene: long, instrumental jams that are partially improvised and intended for high volume. Bands like Clouds Taste Satanic are very good at this, and so is Bismut, a trio of talented musicians who play with the technical skills of progressive rockers and the brutality of metalheads.

When I say long instrumental jams, I emphasize the word “long.” Bismut’s previous releases, such as Retrocausality, include many songs that stretch well past the ten-minute mark. In this regard, Ausdauer is somewhat of a departure from their previous efforts. It consists of just five songs, and the longest track is about nine minutes and change.

The opening track, “Mendalir,” has all the hallmarks of instrumental heavy psych/stoner: the riff repetition, the blaring guitar leads, and the length of nearly nine minutes to take you on a journey. Bismut plays faster than a doom act on this song, preferring the chugging riffs more akin to desert rockers. The song twists and turns with tempo changes and many guitar pyrotechnics.

“Fuan” is less than six minutes, which is unusual for Bismut. The riffs kick ass, but I didn’t feel compelled to listen too closely. It feels like music intended to space out or maybe hit the highway with. Yes, Bismut has much technical prowess, but I felt like I was being bludgeoned to death. Some stoner fans may like that in a masochistic way, but it’s not something I particularly enjoyed.

“Despotisme” provides an interesting heavy riff, but I felt much the same way about this song as I did “Faun.” The track also had me thinking of the merits of the heavy psych genre tag. Heavy psych intersects with stoner metal/rock often, and sometimes it does so much that the “psych” part gets left out. There’s not much psychedelic going on during “Despotisme” – sure, it’s good, loud stoner metal, but the finesse and experimentation of psychedelia are missing.

“Masta” follows a similar template as previous songs. Midway through, there’s a breakdown where things get quiet – a trick that Bismut has used on previous records. Rest assured, the tempo builds to an explosion during the second half of the song and ends in a loud fashion.

“Euphoria” is notable because of the guitar work of Nik Landers. He does some pretty amazing stuff with his axe in this song, but then again, Landers’ playing is solid throughout the record. However, not much new ground is broken in “Euphoria,” another long jam that takes no prisoners.

Final Thoughts

If you like meat and potatoes stoner metal, Bismut’s Ausdauer is for you. While I enjoyed the album, I felt that Bismut followed the formula for most stoner metal albums out there today. “Heavy psych” can be a strange genre label sometimes, and some bands emphasize the heavy but forget the psych part. I prefer my heavy psych to be more along the lines of Apex Ten and Acid King, who employ many creative techniques and lots of experimentation. I wish Bismut did that more on this album.

This isn’t to say Ausdauer is a bad album – just not my cup of tea. I’m sure plenty of stoner/heavy psych fans will enjoy this, and it may even land a spot on October’s Doom Charts. 

Much instrumental stoner metal can actually be very relaxing and great for getting lost in, and the long jams from Bismut here will appeal to listeners who want something like this. Ausdauer will drop on October 20th, so pre-order on Bandcamp if you like what you heard.

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