Boris was formed in 1992 by four musicians, who knew each other from school and decided to form a band together. They were very inspired by the American band The Melvins, and their name was also taken from the song Boris of the album Bullhead by The Melvins.
They made their musical recording debut in 1994 on a compilation album called Take care of the scabbard fish, but it was a few years later in 1996 when they debuted their first album Absolutego. It was released on their own label Fangs Anal Satan (a reference to The Melvins as well) and contained one track. 'Only' one track of 'only' 65 minutes.
After some split EPs with the bands Barebones and Tomsk 7, and a collaboration album with Keiji Haino they released their second album, Amplifier worship in 1998.
Flood, released in 2000 was another one-track album, this one lasting 70 minutes in total and then Heavy rocks followed in 2002. Just like the title says already, this album was a lot more rock then their previous works, and leaned more towards stoner rock and American garage rock of the 80s. On this album they also collaborated with musicians from Masonna, Merzbow, Acid king and others.
Boris did not only have a group of growing followers in Japan, but they also got a lot of attention from outside Japan. In 2001 the American hardcore label Southern Lord released Absolutego again, but with this time with an extra track. Over time they released some more albums including Amplifier worship in 2003, making Boris' music available to the American audience.
In the following years Boris released several more albums, split EPs and took part in further collaboratations. Their next album Akuma no Uta (songs of the devil) which was released in 2003 received a lot of critical praise in several countries. Around this time the band started to tour abroad as well, touring throughout the USA and Europe.
In 2005 they released the album Mabuta no Ura (backside of the eyelids) -sound track from film "mabuta no ura"-. Even though the album is described as a soundtrack, there is no movie connected to the album. The album was released in three different versions, CD, LP and a special Brazilian version which was released by Essence records. This album was probably their lightest one, sounding very peaceful especially compared to their other works.
Pink, released a little later that year, was full of rock again, sounding rough and hysterical. It was three years before they released another new album, but SMILE got its debut in March 2008. In between, they toured abroad various times, and released a vast number of split EPs.
In addition to their their own album releases, Boris' songs have appeared on other compilation albums, especially on labels which they had previously released material. Barebones, Tomsk7, Merzbow, The Dudley Corporation and Choukoku no niwa are just a few of the bands that have collaborated with Boris on numerous split-EP's and other works.
Boris are a prolific band whose progressive niche stylings allow the band to truly stand out from the crowd. But none the less, Boris' works are pretty brilliant if not unusual and their ever growing fan base is testament to this fact.
Although Boris is known to switch music styles regularly between albums, they mostly play in the drone metal/rock genre. In case you are not familiar with these terms: 'drone' simply means a continuous chord or a note to which metal/rock is added. The overall sound you get is pretty hard and very psychedelic. It is also very common in this genre that an album from a drone metal/rock band will contain only one track which lasts the full 74 minutes of the album.
If you are a fan of this kind of music, you will love it. If you have never listened to these kinds of bands, you will probably find their music very strange music and difficult to listen to. And it is true; that this style of music is not easy-listening. Boris' music is not meant to be played on the radio and it is not meant to be used as background music in a café. Instead Boris use their unique style to express themselves through music.
