CD review, Apr 07. Gorguts – Erosion of Sanity

Reviewed - 24.04.07

Gorguts second release two years after the debut is a somewhat more challenging affair than its predecessor. So confident is this album that track two starts with a sometimes clichéd but still beautiful classical passage, then turning into a slow burning, windmilling Death-Doom workout before getting down to faster Death Metal business.

That sets the tone for the record really; fast parts, slow parts but mostly damn heavy, sealed with those fucking insane vocals. Unfortunately, if you’re not a dyed in the wool Metaloid, this album can occasionally dip into over indulgence and the constant battery of rolling drum fills and stop-start rhythms can get tiring. The riffing seems to rely on either a muted slow chugging or the time-honoured Death Metal fretboard workout, but this was 1993 and pretty cutting edge at the time. In fact, it’s probably cutting edge today as the likes of Cryptopsy and Meshuggah employ much the same technique, just sometimes twice as fast! However, there is often more interesting musical respite during each track and guitar solos when they arrive are always tasteful and melodic.

It’s hard to go into much individual detail about this one as really the feel of the album is similar throughout. I’m guessing it could be a love or hate thing for a lot of people, yet I find myself strangely on the fence; I love the heaviness and ingenuity of the riffing but I find the almost incessant chug and roll with rarely a section that isn’t an exercise in musical dexterity, a bit hard going. Lemay’s vocals remain awesome but I find it hard to follow them with the music, almost like some spoken word performance over jazz, but very heavy! It’s a common vibe about this album but one that apparently improves with repeated listens, for those who can handle it. Gorguts remain a great example of why Death Metal was such a powerful and exciting force during its early 90’s incarnation, but perhaps not one for all tastes.