Thursday, November 27, 2014

Minsk - Burning (2003)


Artist: Minsk
Album: Burning
Year: 2003
Genre: Sludge | Doom
Origin: Illinois, USA

 -Tracklist-
1. The Time Ek Stasis
2. Boreas
3. As the City Burns
4. The Plains of San Agustin

Minsk formed in 2002 out of Peoria, Illinois. They play an other-worldly form of post-sludge / doom that is highly psychedelic and atmospheric. The band's songs tend to start off slow with a certain calmness to them, only to turn into something very intricate and complex, almost organic when you hear the tribal drumming patterns. Their sound is very deep and spiritual, in a way, whilst retaining that heaviness through the aggressively echoed vocal style and synth instrumentation. 


In regards to their name, Minsk is the capital of Belarus, which has been burned to the ground more than once. Lyrically, they draw most inspiration from the Belarussian city where survival through suffering is inherent. 

Consisting of 4 members, they produced a demo entitled Burning in '03 around the same time as their appearance at The Templars of Doom Festival, gaining them more attention and a new fan-base. They later released their first full-length in '05 with the help of notable underground producer and current bassist, Sanford Parker, of Buried at Sea.