Angry Metal Guy<p><a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/bunsenburner-reverie-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Bunsenburner – Reverie Review</a></p><p><i>By Dear Hollow</i></p><p>My relationship with Germany’s <strong>Bunsenburner </strong>grows with each release, and you could say it’s getting pretty serious, like a dark romantasy. I completely ripped third full-length <em>Poise </em><a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/bunsenburner-poise-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">a new one</a> which garnered the ire of mastermind Ben Krahl. But like any hate relationship that borders on masochistic, he saw the light and sent in follow-up <em>Rituals</em> – <a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/bunsenburner-rituals/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">and our love blossomed</a>. The act’s backbone lies in the fuzz and jam-sesh vibes of stoner metal, but with enough free jazz and crystalline ambiance to kill a full-grown elephant, it embraces the psychedelia in tasteful ways with instrumental prowess.</p><p><em>Reverie</em>, then, is a continued honing of <strong>Bunsenburner</strong>’s seemingly scattershot influences, reflecting the pedigree of its contributors.<a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/bunsenburner-reverie-review/#fn-209904-1" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">1</a> While the free jazz of <em>Rituals</em> is certainly present, it is anchored by much-improved fuzzy stoner riffage a la <em>Poise</em>, owing a certain “thinking man’s jam sesh” vibe – oxymoronic or not. <em>Reverie </em>simply feels like a better form of <em>Poise </em>altogether, that the riffs are in the spotlight, but all atmospheric elements shine in enacting a psychedelic shimmer that adds to the weight and teleports it otherworldly planes. It’s the best album <strong>Bunsenburner </strong>has made, but then again, they made a song named after me. So.</p><p></p><p><em>Reverie</em>’s best qualities amp the accessibility. The grooves are tighter, the songs shorter to enhance the effect, and there are still riffs I can’t get out of my head since. There are covers aboard <em>Reverie</em>,<a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/bunsenburner-reverie-review/#fn-209904-2" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">2</a> but <strong>Bunsenburner</strong>’s sound is so organic it could as easily have been original. As always, <strong>Bunsenburner</strong> has never felt lacking in its entirely instrumental approach, and with a better track formula focusing on organic movements from riff to riff, the stoner-focused track shine (“Gleam of the Goddess,” “Trigger,” “Catfight,” “Bagbak”) with a renewed urgency that hits hard and fast and doesn’t overstay its welcome, not to mention its trademark atmospheric tricks (e.g. flute in “TORO,” nintendocore synth in “Bagbak”). The jam sesh chemistry feels more palpable here, owing to a fuzz that doesn’t overwhelm and a rich rhythmic tapestry that adds to the replay factor. The album is forty-four minutes, with thirteen tracks to its name – only a handful of songs exceed the three-minute mark, which adds to the conciseness and punch.</p><p></p><p>A stark departure from <em>Poise</em>, <strong>Bunsenburner </strong>isn’t all ballsy riffs. Experimental moments abound, like the two part “Letting Go (softly)” and “Letting Go (hardly),” which are in essence the same song with all its melodies and motifs but one feels like a crystalline post-rock song and the other a stoner metal riff-fest. Slower chuggy passages abound that add a sludgy swampiness to the sound (“Golden Shower,” “Triskaidekaphobie”), without dragging the sound into stagnancy. Longer tracks (“Ballade Four,” “Triskaidekaphobie”) balance the two approaches in thick stoner riffs that move smoothly into gentle plucking and back again, in places feeling a tad like a more stoner-oriented <em>Hex</em>-era <strong>Earth</strong>. The influences of classic guitar abuse reminiscent of psychedelic <strong>Jimi Hendrix </strong>is felt throughout (“Zodiac Shit,” “Golden Shower”), while bluesy southern rock melodic sensibilities rear Gothic and mysterious heads (“Waltz, alone,” “Ballade Four”). The most obvious remnant of <em>Rituals</em>’ free jazz is track eight, “Dear Hollow,” a minute-long gush of wailing noise, warbling synth, and punky blastbeats – <em>obviously and objectively </em>the best track <strong>Bunsenburner </strong>has ever released and likely ever will.</p><p><strong>Bunsenburner </strong>continues to hone its skills. While it sacrifices a bit of the holistic cohesion of <em>Rituals </em>with its more riff-centric attack, <em>Reverie </em>feels more a redemption arc of <em>Poise</em> – its pieces, however disjointed they can feel, are done with stunning clarity, organicity, and power. The grooves hit harder, the atmosphere is more complementary, and the experimental flare is palpable without sacrificing the album cohesion. Its cover’s cuddly black metal kitten is playful homage to the act’s jam-seshing chemistry, although its experimental and atmospheric elements are more than meets the ear. Next time, make the song about me a little longer for a higher score, okay? Kisses!</p> <p><strong>Rating</strong>: 3.0/5.0<br><strong>DR:</strong> 7 | <strong>Format Reviewed: </strong>320kbps mp3<br><strong>Label:</strong> Self-Released<br><strong>Websites:</strong> <a href="https://bunsenburner.bandcamp.com/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Bandcamp</a> | <a href="https://www.facebook.com/bunsenburner.band" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Facebook</a><br><strong>Releases Worldwide: </strong>January 17th, 2025</p><p><a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/2025/" target="_blank">#2025</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/30/" target="_blank">#30</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/ambient-metal/" target="_blank">#AmbientMetal</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/bunsenburner/" target="_blank">#Bunsenburner</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/doom-metal/" target="_blank">#DoomMetal</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/earth/" target="_blank">#Earth</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/fear-my-thoughts/" target="_blank">#FearMyThoughts</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/free-jazz/" target="_blank">#FreeJazz</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/german-metal/" target="_blank">#GermanMetal</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/jan25/" target="_blank">#Jan25</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/jimi-hendrix/" target="_blank">#JimiHendrix</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/long-distance-calling/" target="_blank">#LongDistanceCalling</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/post-rock/" target="_blank">#PostRock</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/reverie/" target="_blank">#Reverie</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/review/" target="_blank">#Review</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/reviews/" target="_blank">#Reviews</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/self-release/" target="_blank">#SelfRelease</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/sludge-metal/" target="_blank">#SludgeMetal</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/southern-rock/" target="_blank">#SouthernRock</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/stoner-metal/" target="_blank">#StonerMetal</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/triptykon/" target="_blank">#Triptykon</a></p>