New attack from Bark!
In 2025, Ron Bruynseels (vocals), Toon Huet (guitar, Furia), Martin Furia (guitar, Destruction, Furia), Jorn Van der Straeten (bass) and Ward Van der Straeten (drums) release their fifth album The Time Has Come, the second to be released via Listenable Records.
We’re off to a fast start with Negativist, a virulent first composition that doesn’t pull any punches when it comes to hitting us head-on with its direct, catchy riffs and aggressive vocal parts. The track is fairly short, but Shaman is ready to take over with a brutal groove and a slightly more melodic chorus, while Dodge the Bullet returns to its more vindictive jerky Thrash-influenced approach. No Ones Word is a detour into the thick sound, with the bass providing a solid base for the guitars, which indulge in more ethereal harmonics before becoming bloody again on the piercing Whisky Rivers, which offers a truly unbridled charge against a backdrop of musical violence. The track passes a little quickly, giving way to Faceless and its melodious flights of fancy between two heavier passages, but the band finally agrees to give us a brief moment’s respite with the introduction of Wanted Man, which ends up setting itself alight and becoming very unifying. The scathing influences are again felt in the leads, but the final calm will eventually lead us to Seven, which senses the return of rage and won’t take long to hit us full force and molest us before suddenly letting loose with Wildheart. The track immediately makes us want to shake our skulls and punch anything that comes near, but Lord Of The Skies brings a motivating and slightly dissonant epic touch to the band’s sound. The mood changes with Wrath Unchained, which offers some ominous sounds before returning to its jerky virulence while sailing through the heaviness, then The Curse From Above continues this dark approach with its heady groove, closing the album on a slightly softer, more accessible note.
Although Bark is clearly focused on pure violence and groovy riffs, The Time Has Come shows us that the band can also venture into more melodic sounds, even quite quietly, while remaining catchy!
90/100