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Botanist is an American
black metal Black metal is an extreme metal, extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. Common traits include Tempo#Beats per minute, fast tempos, a Screaming (music)#Black metal, shrieking vocal style, heavily distorted Electric guitar, guitars played with tr ...
band based in San Francisco, originally formed as a one-main project by musician Otrebor, with later collaborations with other musicians. The band has been described as a "Guitarless, environmentally themed 'green metal' project utilizing
hammered dulcimer The hammered dulcimer (also called the hammer dulcimer) is a percussion-string instrument which consists of String (music), strings typically stretched over a trapezoidal resonant sound board (music), sound board. The hammered dulcimer is set bef ...
, sung from the perspective of a reclusive, nature-loving misanthrope." Most of the band's lyrics are based on environmental themes and botanical processes, with a focus on
climate change Present-day climate change includes both global warming—the ongoing increase in Global surface temperature, global average temperature—and its wider effects on Earth's climate system. Climate variability and change, Climate change in ...
and destruction of the natural world.


Description

In a departure from traditional black metal instrumentation, Botanist uses distorted hammered dulcimers instead of standard electric guitars, and with more clean vocals than most black metal music. Critics have noted the evolution of unconventional instrumentation over the course of the band's history. Otrebor originally played all instruments himself with no editing. Otrebor claims that when writing songs and recording, he channels an entity called "The Botanist" who holds a "romantic worldview in which plants reclaim the earth after humanity has killed itself," and who is "trying his damnedest to bring about the end of humanity because humanity is destroying the natural world and the natural world must prevail." The band's sound is largely influenced by
Ulver Ulver (Norwegian for "wolves") is a Norwegian Experimental electronic music, experimental electronica band founded in 1993, by vocalist Kristoffer Rygg. Their early works, such as debut album ''Bergtatt – Et eeventyr i 5 capitler, Bergtatt'', ...
, which Otrebor describes as "black metal that's grown out of the worship of the forest." Otrebor's use of scientific terms for plants and insects in lyrics and song titles is a tribute to the extreme metal band
Carcass Carcass or Carcase (both pronounced ) may refer to: * Dressed carcass, the body of a livestock animal ready for butchery, after removal of skin, visceral organs, head, feet etc. *Carrion, the decaying dead body of an animal or human being, also c ...
. Other influences include artists in a wide range of heavy metal genres, plus
ambient Ambient or ambiance or ambience may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Ambiancé'', an unreleased experimental film * ''Ambient'' (novel), a novel by Jack Womack Music and sound * Ambience (sound recording), also known as atmospheres or backgr ...
and classical musicians, including
The Ruins of Beverast The Ruins of Beverast is a German blackened doom metal project formed by Alexander von Meilenwald in 2003. Six albums have been released under the moniker through Ván Records.
,
Stars of the Lid Stars of the Lid is an American ambient music project that formerly consisted of Brian McBride and Adam Wiltzie. The duo formed in Austin, Texas, in 1992. They have been acclaimed for their music incorporating droning, effects-treated guitars a ...
,
Immortal Immortality is the ability to live forever, or eternal life. Immortal or Immortality may also refer to: Film * ''The Immortals'' (1995 film), an American crime film * ''Immortality'', an alternate title for the 1998 British film '' The Wisdom of ...
,
Pagan's Mind Pagan's Mind is a progressive metal band from Skien, Norway. They have released five studio albums, and the current line-up feature only original members. Biography Founded in 2000 from the band Silverspoon by Nils K. Rue, Thorstein Aaby, and St ...
,
Antonio Vivaldi Antonio Lucio Vivaldi (4 March 1678 – 28 July 1741) was an Italian composer, virtuoso violinist, impresario of Baroque music and Roman Catholic priest. Regarded as one of the greatest Baroque composers, Vivaldi's influence during his lif ...
,
Johann Sebastian Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (German: Help:IPA/Standard German, �joːhan zeˈbasti̯an baχ ( – 28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque music, Baroque period. He is known for his prolific output across a variety ...
,
Arvo Pärt Arvo Pärt (; born 11 September 1935) is an Estonian composer of contemporary classical music. Since the late 1970s, Pärt has worked in a minimalist style that employs tintinnabuli, a compositional technique he invented. Pärt's music is in p ...
, Edenbridge,
Helloween Helloween is a German power metal band founded in 1984 in Hamburg by members of bands Iron Fist, Gentry, Second Hell and Powerfool. The band has at times been called one of the most influential European heavy metal bands of the 1980s. Its first ...
, Angra,
Martyr A martyr (, ''mártys'', 'witness' Word stem, stem , ''martyr-'') is someone who suffers persecution and death for advocating, renouncing, or refusing to renounce or advocate, a religious belief or other cause as demanded by an external party. In ...
, and
Bolt Thrower Bolt Thrower were a British death metal band from Coventry. They formed in 1986 and released their first album with Vinyl Solution in 1988. The band then shifted to a new record label, Earache Records, soon becoming one of the best selling ba ...
. Botanist received spotlight coverage from
NPR National Public Radio (NPR) is an American public broadcasting organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It serves as a national Radio syndication, syndicator to a network of more ...
, in which journalist Lars Gotrich praised the albums ''I: The Suicide Tree'' and ''II: A Rose from the Dead'' as "surprisingly dynamic and hypnotic. The hammered dulcimer rings out and cuts like a blast-beated piano pounding paradiddles in some kind of black-metal drumline. ..Botanist has created an alternate world where black-metal tropes — buzzing sound, croaked vocals, bleak aesthetics — exist, but are sonically limitless." ''
Decibel The decibel (symbol: dB) is a relative unit of measurement equal to one tenth of a bel (B). It expresses the ratio of two values of a Power, root-power, and field quantities, power or root-power quantity on a logarithmic scale. Two signals whos ...
'' magazine has called the band's music "emotionally devastating."


Band members

Botanist has existed mainly as a one-man project in the studio, however various lineups have been assembled for touring and collaborative albums. Otrebor first recorded with a full band in 2017.


Current members

* Otrebor – vocals, drums,
hammered dulcimer The hammered dulcimer (also called the hammer dulcimer) is a percussion-string instrument which consists of String (music), strings typically stretched over a trapezoidal resonant sound board (music), sound board. The hammered dulcimer is set bef ...
(2009–present) * Daturus (2017–present) – drums * Tony Thomas (2019–present) – bass


Former members

* D. Neal – hammered dulcimer (2013–2016) * A. Lindo – vocals, harmonium (2013–2016) * R. Chiang – hammered dulcimer (2013–2016) * Balan – bass (2013–2016) * Toorpand – bass (2017–2018) * Cynoxylon – vocals (2017–2019) *
Davide Tiso Davide Tiso (born 21 June 1979) is a guitarist, composer and multi-instrumentalist. He originates from Padova, in Italy, but currently resides in San Francisco, California. He is a member of extreme metal band Ephel Duath, a band he started in 19 ...
– bass (2018–2019)


Discography

* ''I: The Suicide Tree'' (2011) * ''II: A Rose From the Dead'' (2011) * ''III: Doom in Bloom'' (2012) * ''IV: Mandragora'' (2013) * ''The Hanging Gardens of Hell'' (EP split with Palace of Worms, 2013) * ''VI: Flora'' (2014) * ''EP2: Hammer of Botany'' (2015) * ''EP3: Green Metal'' (2016) * ''Collective: The Shape Of He To Come'' (2017) * ''Collective: Setlist'' (2017) * ''Ecosystem'' (2019) * ''Photosynthesis'' (2020) * ''VIII: Selenotrope'' (2023) * ''Paleobotany'' (2024)


References


External links

*
Bandcamp page
{{Authority control American black metal musical groups Musical groups established in 2009 American hammered dulcimer players Tumult Records artists