So, you like Death Metal, do you? Are you sure or do you like the idea of appearing to be a death metal aficionado? It’s an honest question. Okay, if you’re about this life then you might just appreciate Artificial Brain (Profound Lore) the latest album from a lovely New York crew operating under the same moniker.
Is post-Death Metal a thing? I’m sure there’s some Metal forum that can vindicate that subgenre, but who’s got the time for that. On second thought Gorguts’ Colored Sands probably has already nabbed the coveted best post-Death album title, but I digress. Fallujah’s latest LP Undying Light (Nuclear Blast) certainly seems to fit the post-Extreme label as well, seeing that it’s an album equal parts Death and Deftones.Continue reading
It is truly hard to believe that it has actually been around 3 years since death metal pioneers Gorguts returned to action. Still seeming like such a short time ago, but it really was back in 2013 when they ended their hiatus with the brilliantly received Colored Sands (Season Of Mist) and reminded the world how mind-bogglingly exciting and innovating they can be. Now would be the time for many to begin resting on their laurels and maybe relying on nostalgia. Or you could release a single, 33-minute track EP. Apparently this is the Gorguts way.
Following on from Colored Sands’ unpredictable and ever-changing nature, Pleiade’s Dust (Season of Mist) similarly proves as sprawling, veering from blast beat laden fury to more hypnotic atmospheric passages. Despite its frenetic nature however, rather than appearing messy and jarring, it proves a typically thoughtful composition that feels complete and still maintains enough common ground and regularity to feel warrant its duration.
Never one to choose the easy route of convention, Pleiade’s Dust once again proves a head scratching affair at first which may seem daunting, but once delved into proves captivating and, against the odds, not only understandable but essential. Very few bands can take so many directions and do so much with their music as Gorguts and still make it as wholesome, and Pleiade’s Dust is further proof as to why they were so missed.
8.0/10
CHRIS TIPPELL
[amazon asin=B01C81PDG4&template=iframe image1]
12 years since their last full-length, Gorguts have seen fit to grace us mere mortals with a new album. Has it been worth the wait? In short, oh yes, yes it has. Densely technical and chaotic, Colored Sands (Season Of Mist) is as punishing as it is rewarding. Whilst it’s far from being a catchy album, Gorguts never sacrifice riffs in favour of technicality, and their music never comes across as “technical for the sake of it”. The opening riff on ‘An Ocean Of Wisdom’, for example, is absolutely monumental, and almost hummable, before dissolving into atonal “melodies” that any fan of Deathspell Omega should be more than familiar with. The fluidity of Gorguts’ compositions on this album is astounding, flowing between eerie atmospherics, dense, rumbling riffs, and mind-bending technicality with ease that would make lesser musicians green with envy.Continue reading
With the release of Obscura (1998) and From Wisdom To Hate (2001) Gorguts set the bar for technical death metal. Sadly the band dissolved shortly thereafter only to emerge again almost a decade later with Colored Sands. Luc Lemay confides in Ghost Cult regarding the trials and tribulations that befell his band and where they’re at now.Continue reading