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Welcome to Botanist.nu, the official home page of the musical project Botanist.
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12/08/20
"Some black metal purists will be turned off by the clean vocals and use of non-traditional instruments, but those who are a bit more open to the more left-field corners of the genre will dig the hell out of it. It’s a record that requires a few listens to truly appreciate, but is worth that extra bit of effort." -- Andrew Carr, Apathy & Exhaustion
12/07/20
"Soothing and tortured at the same time, the album resonates like a labyrinth of leaves and branches rising gradually, a record where the notes form an environment. (8/10)" -- Ikea, Thrashocore
11/27/20
"Botanist and "Photosynthesis" are crystal clear black metal, in terms of nature and purpose. A different black metal, introverted and lonely, with an eccentric sound. It is governed by a nihilism of a different kind that completely denies human presence and admires the greatness of nature" -- Antonis Kalamoutsos, Rocking.gr
11/20/20
"A lot of heavy music feels like an assault, a train coming directly towards you head on. Botanist, in their wisdom, have perfected the trick of making music that feels like it surrounds you instead, coming at you from all sides and in all hues at once. Though ever moving, there’s a sort of tranquillity and steadiness at the heart of it all, their placement of sounds feeling very much like some sort of musical Feng Shui." -- Jamie Grimes, The Sleeping Shaman
"["Photosynthesis"] feels both staggeringly intense and invitingly breathable" -- Caleb Newton, New Noise Magazine
11/12/20
"'Photosynthesis' is one of the most intriguing and versatile black metal releases this year" -- Thorsten, Merchants of Air
11/05/20
What’s most striking about this latest album is its full and fleshed out overall sound." -- Kevin Stewart Panko, Metal Injection
11/04/20
"the beauty of the whole madness and, completely unaffected by the destructive rift around it, hope." -- Lars-Thorge Oje, Plattentests.de
11/02/20
"'Play loud, play often, plant trees' is the overriding message here." -- Nick Roseblade, The Quietus, November 2nd
"wonderfully creative songcraft and musicianship, as well as the aforementioned ‘levelling up’ of production on Photosynthesis." -- Chris Keith-Wright, Echoes and Dust
11/01/20
Botanist featured in SF Weekly
“Drum tracks are my storyboards. That’s how I even write my own stuff,” Otrebor says. “Most of the time, I storyboard everything out on the drums, and then write music to it.” -- Aaron Carnes, SF Weekly
10/30/20
"Photosynthesis" released by The Flenser on CD/LP. Japanese label Daymare releases a Japan-only version with 5 bonus demo tracks from "Ecosystem" and ""Photosynthesis."
"Given the earthball’s collective need for breath (the stink of pollution, the smothering horror of COVID-19, the poisonous hot air of institutional political discourse), it’s especially significant that the record closes with ["Oxygen"], photosynthesis’s most precious product. Not for the plants, mind you. For the rest of us." -- Jonathan Shaw, Dusted Magazine, October 29, 2020
“Drum tracks are my storyboards. That’s how I even write my own stuff,” Otrebor says. “Most of the time, I storyboard everything out on the drums, and then write music to it.” -- Aaron Carnes,SF Weekly
10/29/20
"...a masterful offering, a fitting step forward for the band and a record that eagerly borrows from a wide variety of elements. There ability to lean into the avant garde and then dial it back with something much more classically oriented is of course inspiring. 'Photosynthesis is a potent offering and one that USBM fans will be sure to treasure. Thoughtful, focused and deeply interesting, this album sees the band at their finest, building on the old magic and bringing us something exciting and new. Why not immerse yourself?" -- Matt Bacon,Two Guys Metal Reviews
10/26/20
"There likely isn’t another heavy music record anywhere that uses photosynthesis as a conceptual center, but that’s fitting as there really is no other band quite like Botanist. 'Photosynthesis' is a fascinating record, another great version of this collective form of the band that helps to fully flush out every corner. This album will live in your psyche both as a raging storm and a calming spirit as you consider the very process that helps us unworthy humans remain alive." -- Brian Krasman, Meat Mead Metal
07/23/20
Favonian releases "Ecosystem version B" on cassette tape format.
