Review BARK “The Time Has Come”

Belgian metal powerhouse Bark has been working on a new album. “The Time Has Come” is the title of their latest effort and the time has come to ship the album to the record stores. Well, the latter is happening these days and what fans can expect is an aggressive hybrid of groove metal and death metal, all with an essence of hardcore injected into these 12 new songs.

The tone-setter of the album is called “The Curse From Above” and the song paves the way for the other eleven tracks to follow. It is a more melodic drive at the beginning of the song that develops into a mid-tempo groove rocker with some husky vocals from Ron Bruyseels. With “Dodge the Bullet” Bark turns up the intensity. The groove elements are much more in the foreground and what we get is a raging metal track with some NYC hardcore references.

“The Time Has Come” is a massive release with “Lord Of The Skies” focusing more on the metal roots of the Belgian five-piece, before the lead single “Negativist” feels like a sonic slap in the face. Or listen to a song called “On No Ones Word” where Bark pump some iron. “Seven” is another sonic wrecking ball that shows a band that didn’t approach the album with the idea of compromise. Instead, fans of raging metal can expect an album of ruthless power and pulverizing riffs.

Unusual and not too lengthy is the short intro of “Wanted Man”. It quickly turns into another massive riff attack before Bark switch gears with “Whiskey Rivers”. The song is a brutal and fast-paced headbanger with a thumping bass and pounding drums. Combined with raging rhythms the song is one of the most brutal ones on the album.

Bark deliver a very impressive album. “The Time Has Come” follows an in-the-face attitude and features songs that hit you the moment you drop the needle. There isn’t a chance to recover during these 44 minutes. It is like being caught in a tornado of groove and riffs that will spit you out after the last notes of “Wrath Unchained” fade away. And since the ride was a thrilling one, you might be tempted to go for a second round.