Recently, I have most often brought up the point of flanderisation when talking about Dissonant Death Metal. If it was applicable here, I would have used the issue to make some contrived meta point about how the Flanderisation and Solidification of Genre tropes has led to solidified and flanderised reviews in itself and highlight the irony therein. Unfortunately, Baring Teeth aren´t the most trope oriented troupe for the most part, and the challenge in reviewing lies elsewhere – if this is an above average or even good example of Dissonant Death Metal, why do I not find myself particularly enjoying it?
The Path Narrows as an album is frontloaded and the album opens on its best material. “The Gate” quotes minimalist classical as much it quotes the output of King Crimson in the 80s and 90s, with its snaking polymeters in undiscernible scales. While the texture is sparse, it appears denser than it is because of the rhythmic complexity. It is a trick I would like to see more bands employ, as the usual “Dissonant Broken Chord” mannerisms of post Deathspell Omega Avantgarde can grow grading quickly and don´t actually leave much room for creative exploration. Given, even all of this has been done before – I can quickly cite a direct influence, after all – but it seems like Dissonant Death Metal had forgotten these influences for a while. The rhythmic obfuscation and subtle hints to underrated prog make Baring Teeth feel just a little fresher than many of their contemporaries. In addition to this, the band seems to be slightly more willing to be actually dissonant. The almost comically dissonant harmonies in “Rote Mimesis” are so devoid of any purpose beyond offending the ears that I have to commend the band for actually willing to go there. It seems like dissonance now, more often than not, has become some weird attempt at atmosphere. The band does that too, of course, but serving up contrast is always welcome and adds a purpose to the dissonance.
The only real issue I can point to where the band doesn´t do what they do well is the unfortunate last track. “Terminus” is an absolute slog and the purest moment where the band gives in to actual trope oriented work. A calm track, meant to unsettle, that just drags and never achieves the goal to be the emotionally draining finale the album should have. An electronic section in the middle serves little purpose in the track as a whole and adds even more minutes to an album that could and should have ended minutes ago. Still, if this album had come out years ago I might have been more forgiving with its final flaw and maybe even championed the album with just a small caveat. I suspect that, sadly, it is not Baring Teeth´s fault that the album does not tickle me as it should but rather the scene’s as a whole.
