Bokassa - Divide And Conquer album review

Norway’s stoner/punk renegades perfect the formula

Cover art for Bokassa - Divide And Conquer album

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This Norwegian trio fuse primitive stoner-rock with raw hardcore punk and occasionally thrash, and they do it with deliciously seductive genius. This debut full-length is just over 32 minutes long but it’s intense, unpretentiously creative and relentlessly rhythmic. If Bokassa’s earlier EPs were a tad disorganised, they’ve now synthesised their style to perfection, riddled with excellent melodies, fuzzy guitar lines, deep Southern groove and hooky riffs. Last Night is immense with an ominous build-up and tumbling oldschool punk. Genocidal is classically stoner and Five Finger encapsulates all that this band do best with grizzly guitars and gigantic riffs. Meanwhile, Crocodile Dundee dials up the melodic metal and hardcore vocals with an enticing singalong. Stoner Anthem is the real masterpiece, though. It’s slow, dense, heavy, criminally hook-laden, and utterly captivating. Bokassa are carving out a hybrid genre all of their own.