page_title: Boris (band)
section_title: Musical style and equipment
hierarchical_section_title: Boris (band) / Musical style and equipment
caption_attribution_description: English: Taken at the Biltmore nightclub in Vancouver in October 2011
context_page_description: Boris is a Japanese experimental music band formed in 1992 in Tokyo and composed of drummer Atsuo Mizuno, guitarist/bassist Takeshi Ohtani, and guitarist/keyboardist Wata. All three members participate in vocal performance. Boris has released more than twenty studio albums on various labels around the world, as well as a wide variety of live albums, compilations, EPs, singles, and collaborative albums.
context_section_description: Throughout their career, Boris have made deliberate efforts to avoid a strong association with any musical style. In particular, they do not consider themselves a heavy metal band despite frequently being categorized as such. In an interview, drummer Atsuo stated: "Having some kind of preconceived message or theme is very boring to me. It becomes a crutch. Just say what you want to say."
  The wide variety of genres used by reviewers to describe Boris's music include experimental music, experimental rock, noise music, noise rock, experimental/avant-garde metal, doom metal, post-metal, drone metal, sludge metal, psychedelic music, psychedelic rock, psychedelic metal, and stoner rock. While they first emerged as a sludge metal band with strong hardcore punk influences, their subsequent releases have employed elements of a wide variety of genres, including drone music, old-school industrial music, ambient music, acid rock, garage rock, shoegazing, dream pop, J-pop, and crust punk. 
  For example, the band's debut album Absolutego featured a "65-minute track of oozing, slow motion, Melvins-inspired drone rock/metal," while its follow-up Amplifier Worship incorporated psychedelia and jam band influences. Their third album Flood incorporated elements from drone. Akuma no Uta and Pink engaged in different stylistic experimentation, including shoegazing, stoner rock, and post-rock. Vein (2007) was released in "Hardcore" and "Noise" versions, whereas New Album experimented with electronica and dream pop. The album Noise featured elements from grunge music.
  Boris uses many different effects pedals and other guitar accessories while performing live. Wata uses an E-bow to achieve bow-like sounds or to manipulate feedback; this device is held in the hand, like a pick, but relies on a magnetic field vibration to move the guitar's strings. Wata also occasionally plays an accordion and keyboards in concert. Takeshi typically plays a double-necked bass/guitar live, which allows him to play both rhythm guitar during the band's lengthier tracks as well as bass guitar during their more traditional tracks, without needing to switch instruments. 
  In the studio, Boris records on analog equipment. They use minimal overdubs, recording mostly live.
caption: Atsuo, Vancouver, October 2011
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