GORGUTS

One of the most downright bonkers technical death metal albums I have ever heard, Gorguts' Obscura finds the band eschewing the intricately structured jazz-death of Atheist or Cynic in favour of bizarre rhythms and dissonant avant-garde chaos. It's not quite free jazz death metal, but it's certainly downright peculiar, but I don't think it would be fair to write it off as merely being weird for weird's sake - there's a certain atmosphere the band establish here which is genuinely haunting, a sickening sense that the natural order of things has somehow gone completely wrong. I can't say this is for everyone, and many will walk away wondering what all the fuss is about, but on balance if you're into technical death metal you owe it to yourself to at least give it a chance, because good gravy you're not going to find much that compares to this.

For me, there's a slight problem with this album, and that is after you've given it the first full play, most of the other tech metal you've previously been listening to suddenly loses a bit of its impact, and for lack of a better word, greatness (well, in my experience anyway). And this all comes down to one simple but utterly crucial element - Emotion. While I'm not saying extremely complex metal has no emotion, there's something about the feelings of anguish and desperation that Obscura contains, that simply betters most of the albums in the same field. It's an entity with more than the height of a skyscraper.

The music itself is very dissonant and angular, and the drum parts roll unsteadily but splendidly over the fractured guitar lines, a bit like a death metal Trout Mask Replica, as it's often described. It's pretty relentless during its 60 minute runtime, probably what's holding it back from a five star rating for me. I also have to be in the right mood to give it a spin.

Gorguts created a completely unique and special album, and one that many will be listening to years and years ahead from now.

4.5 Stars

Favourite tracks: "Obscura", "Nostalgia", "Clouded", "La Vie Est Prelude? (La Morte Orgasme)", "Sweet Silence"

After touring in support of their 1993 album The Erosion of Sanity, Gorguts was dropped from Roadrunner Records. After finding a new label in Olympic Recordings, Gorguts released Obscura in the summer of 1998. Conjuring up images of otherworldly horrors and monsters beyond comprehension, Obscura is a journey to the blackest and most obscure planes of reality. This is what madness would sound like if it was put in musical form. The drums are unrelentless in their assault, with some of the fastest and most technical playing I've ever heard. The riffs are very dissonant and unusual, complemented by the guitar's strange and heavy tone. The vocals sound genuinely disturbed, especially on Illuminatus, with tortured screaming and demonic barking. Lyrically, the album concerns meditations on death and reaching higher planes of being, which is a welcome change of the gore lyrics of most death metal. Undoubtedly one of the most chaotic, insane, and crushingly heavy albums ever produced, any fan of progressive or technical death metal should own this album.

Key tracks: Obscura, Earthly Love, The Carnal State, Nostalgia, Clouded, Subtle Body, Rapturous Grief, Illuminatus, Faceless Ones, Sweet Silence

First of all, I must say that any album cover by Dan Seagrave deserves attention. A master of creating these very ominous and bizarre landscapes, his work here is another in which I imagine myself being placed into. For a short period of time I'd think "Wow, what an incredible experience, this place is so unreal!", Soon after I'd follow that up with "I really need to get the hell out of here since this is not the sort of place a guy like me should be hanging around in AT ALL." This album cover does look like the sort of locale where an erosion of sanity would occur quite quickly.

As a death metal effort, this album to me comes across as being particularly front-loaded. The first track has the most memorable riffs and the second track has the looniest and most inventive musicianship, both tunes tied together by a pretty little haunting piano interlude. Really good stuff early on. Then, as the album lurches on from track to track, the songs seem derivative variations of the first two tracks, although some are fairly decent in their own right. There's even a short acoustic guitar break towards the album's end to break up the monotony for a spell. Outside of that, the last half of this album is a mystery in that no matter how often I've played this thing I can't remember how any of those songs go riff-wise or whatnot.

Musically the band is more than efficient, with stellar guitar playing leading the way. Vocals are tortured death growls that thankfully retain a bit of rage and despair, avoiding robotic gutterals for a more violent mid-ranged delivery. The lyrics spouted by that aural display are noteworthy as well, combining violent and gory imagery with grim yet thought provoking ideas rather than tired odes to how murdering people and devouring their brains is a good time for all (what one might have expected from a band with a name like "Gorguts").

The Erosion Of Sanity is pretty much an old-school technical death metal album that, while well played, didn't really blow my mind when it came out, nor does it now despite the reputation as a classic it eventually garnered years after its release. The first two songs alone make this album worth a listen, but as a whole The Erosion Of Sanity proceeds to get tiresome after awhile. Riffs and atonal melodies are tossed into each track like a death metal salad to the point where structure devolves into a bunch of progressions joined together for a length of time between four and five minutes. The later tracks do have interesting bits and individually can work frightening wonders on an mp3 player's shuffle, but a couple more interludes would have been a smart idea in this particular album's case.

'The Erosion Of Sanity' - Gorguts (7/10)

Gorguts' second album is one that most every death metal afficionado has heard, or will hear at some point. It is widely considered a classic of death metal, and following in the footsteps of their American peers, this Canadian group is a band that I have come to respect quite a bit. Although they would reach their true artistic zenith with the third album 'Obscura', 'The Erosion Of Sanity' is a strong album from the band. Albeit not yet having the innovation and mind-boggling direction that Gorguts would become better known for, I would still sake out 'Erosion' as one of the stronger conventional death records I have heard.

Although I would not consider myself a fan of much death metal, I have listened to enough to identify what I consider to be the better, and less glorious aspects of certain bands' sounds within the genre. As an album that came out in the early 90's, Gorguts here has a sound that is easily identified with many other contemporaries from North America; most notably the style's pioneers, Death. While I would say that Gorguts takes a sound of their own entirely on the third album, 'The Erosion Of Sanity' feels like a disciple to mid-era Death, particularly from that band's second album 'Leprosy' up to 'Individual Thought Patterns'. The guitar tones, solos, and even vocalist Luc Lemay's growl are very close to what Death was doing only a few years before. For any death metal fan, this is not necessarily a bad thing- and Gorguts pays an impressive tribute to Death here at that- although it has nothing on the sense of awe that 'Obscura' gave me.

The music is not particularly heavy or technical by today's standards, but there are riffs and sections here that sound as powerful as they ever have. 'Condemned To Obscurity' has one of the best riffs I have ever heard in death metal; an amazing song that is led in by a classical piano introduction, and then erupts with this apocalyptic pinch-harmonic fueled barrage that gives me chills. The riffs are potentially immense here, and there's even some nice bass to be heard here, provided it manages to peak through the mix. Lemay's vocals are strong, although he does sound like a disciple to Chuck Schuldiner here, more than anything. The thing that I am not finding myself too impressed with are the drums, played here by Stephane Provencher. While he certainly knows how to beat a drumkit to death, there are plenty of sections here where he uses blastbeats, and they do not work nearly as well as they should have. The muddy drum mixing does not help matters much either.

While I would not consider myself to be a fan of much that the death metal style offers, I believe that in its conventional form, the early 90s was the best period for the sound, and an album like 'The Erosion Of Sanity' backs up this notion. Gorguts would not break out from under the thumb of Death and other American bands until their third album, and while nothing else that Gorguts has ever done can raise a finger to 'Obscura', 'The Erosion Of Sanity' comes in second place; a fine, classic-sounding record for death metal.

'Obscura' - Gorguts (9/10)

Widely considered to be one of the most enduring examples of experimental metal, 'Obscura' is an album that has already sparked plenty of discussion long before the writing of this review. Released in 1998, it has since influenced a wave of left-leaning bands in death metal, each seeking to bring the genre to the next level, much like Gorguts did here. Make no mistake; 'Obscura' is a fairly tough cookie to chew at first, even for someone already well-exposed to a variety of extreme metal. As jarring and weird as death metal gets, Gorguts' music here is well worth being considered a classic, although it took me quite a few listens to finally agree with that statement.

As a baseline, death metal is typically about heavy riffs, furious drumming, and a harsh vocal style of growling that typically obscures the lyrics. Gorguts is clearly a death metal act and shares each of these traits, but it is the wealth of additional elements to the music of Gorguts that makes the music stand out. Although a band with the name Gorguts would not tend to inspire thoughts of jazz or neoclassical music, there are sounds of both woven deep into what the band does. Gorguts' sense of dynamic ebbs and flows much like a jazz group, and the dissonant harmonies between the bass and guitars sometimes brings to mind a number of 20th century composers. Although the hour length of the album seems all the more vast due to the jarring and dissonant nature of the music, there is not a moment where the quality lets up, although for music like this, a slightly shorter experience may have been a little more effective.

Death metal vocalists tend to sound quite similar, and while Luc Lemay still employs a familiar style of growls and raspy barks, there is a ferocity to his voice that is rarely heard in death metal. Instead of going the route of low,virtually inaudible gutturals, Lemay's delivery is rooted in bringing the demons out of his throat; and his voice sounds very strained throughout, although in a good way. That being said, Lemay's vocals are the weakest element of 'Obscura', although that is more a cause of the jaw-dropping musicianship, rather than a fault of the vocals. The odd and atypical ways the guitar is used on this album create some very strange and quirky sounds, as is evidenced within the first ten seconds of the record. It sounds like death metal riffs are being channeled through a wah-wah pedal, but whatever it is, the strange guitar style is both one of the album's greatest strengths, and a big reason why Gorguts is met with controversy. This is not the sort of death metal that will even please most death metal fans; the out-of-tune sound of the riffs is a little uncomfortable at first, but the quality sinks it after some listens have come and gone.

'Obscura' was never an album I disliked perse, but it was at first a pretty difficult album to crack. Although I would not consider myself any stranger to avant-garde metal or experimental music in general, the complexity of the music here demands many listens to truly be experienced. It still could have been a little shorter, but 'Obscura' is undoubtedly a masterpiece of death metal.

Some may find the dissonant and brutal chaos of this album to be overwhelming at first, I know I did. My first few listens of Gorgut's Obscura were spent just trying to figure out what the hell was going on, but after many scrutinizing listens I began to understand what was happening: truly original and progressive music with an artistic statement was gracing my ears. This album is, for all intents and purposes, a jazz album, recorded with distorted guitars, at fast tempos, with intense drumming and anguished screams.

Luc Lemay, mastermind of Gorguts, strove to create a form of music that would challenge the listener, much like Robert Fripp did 25 years ago (although this album was released in 98', much of the music was written in the early 90's), and succeeded. The album is very well produced, all instruments can be heard and contribute to the music as a whole. Time signatures and tempo shifts occur very frequently, which is one of the reasons this album is a technical masterpiece. Odd chords, gutiar and bass, techniques also contribute to the overall technicality of the album. All of the tracks are fantastic and unique (though it may take a few listens to be able to distinguish them, especially if you are new to death metal), but my favorites are "Nostalgia", "Clouded", "La Vie Est Prelude... (La Mort, Orgasme)" (Which means, literally: Life is the Prelude... (The Dead Orgasm), and "Faceless Ones." I became aware of this album soon after becoming aware of the death metal genre. This was before I delved into Progressive music. I would definitely consider this album one of the doorways for me into viewing music as something that should have an artistic statement. I highly recommend it to anyone who shares the same view of music. Five stars, this is a masterpiece, one of the most "progressive" albums since the birth of the genre.

As death metal began to wane in 1993, many bands found themselves dealing with flaky labels, lousy promotion and a dwindling fan base. Never one to follow the beaten path, Gorguts knew time was running out and thus concocted what I personally consider the single best progressive death metal release of all time. Luc Lemay is a musical genius, as evident by his ability to create jarring, unorthodox riffing patterns (reminiscent of King Crimson) while keeping the arrangements fresh and interesting. Gorguts have always been known for their insane arrangements, and this album is no exception. While not as complex as the legendary "Obscura", this album is non the less incredibly dense; you won't even begin to hear the nuances of greatness the first, second, even third time through.

It should be noted that despite first impressions, this IS NOT a standard death metal album. If anything, it is progressive music under the guise of extreme metal. Combining the best elements of heavy, complex riffing and subtle melodies/arrangements, this truly is a marriage of wonders. The death metal aesthetic of the band and album doesn't do the music justice; you must look, or more accurately LISTEN between the lines to really hear this album. Once you do, it's similar to having an epiphany where everything you thought you knew before slightly realigns, revealing a beautiful mosaic of creativity.

Combining riffing derived from bands such as DEATH and MORBID ANGEL with the ferocious arrangements of King Crimson and Yes, Gorguts truly are the kings of progressive death metal. The opening track "With Their Flesh, He'll Create" gives the listener no time to take a breath as the album kicks into high gear. The piano intro to "Condemned To Obscurity" represents the last stretch of sanity before one collapses into the void; an absolute masterpiece. The title track features some of the tightest, most thought out technical riffing patterns I have ever heard, and goes hand in hand with the album art (Dan Seagrave!). "Orphans of Sickness" adds a little more shuffle-and-groove to the mix.

One thing that too many "technical" acts do wrong right off the bat is attempt to stuff as many notes as possible into the music. This is never the case with Gorguts; each riff and part is so refined, you feel like you're listening to classical music as opposed to extreme metal. This is technical death metal done right; not since Suffocation's "Effigy of The Forgotten", "Breeding The Spawn" and Death "Human" has death metal been executed with such poise, precision, and stunning perplexity.

"Hideous Infirmity" has one of the catchiest riffs I've ever heard, and at it's core is almost arranged like a typical pop song. Luc really knows his stuff, and it shows on this record. "A Path Beyond Premonition" brings the listener to a more grueling, brutal atmosphere. Slow palm muted passages carry the track, and an upbeat ending section brings it full circle. "Odors of Existence" continues the mayhem, only to open up into the classical guitar infused intro of the closing track "Dormant Misery". You will never hear another "death metal" band perform as tightly as these guys; there was something in the air in CanadaI swear.

All in all, this album is absolutely worth the five star rating; it may take several spins to really start to hear the structure behind the mayhem, but once it clicks you'll find yourself anticipating riffs and switch-ups. Gorguts were (and still are, in my honest opinion) a criminally over looked band in general. The legacy of this album cannot be stated more prominently; this is the death metal equivalent of prog classics such as "Close To The Edge", "Red", and "Selling England By The Pound". A Must have for any progressive metal enthusiast!

Well, this is it...

The ultimate...

This is the most brutal, complex, experimental, technical, avant-garde, dark, mysterious, dissonant, chaotic, yet beautiful album you will ever hear in your life.

HOLY SH**!!! is the first thing that comes to mind when you hear this album. I fell in love with this album after about 5 seconds of hearing track 2, "Earthly Love". The album defies absolutely everything that has been standardized in the field of metal since Black Sabbath in 1970.

Steeve Hurdle's vocals are extremely strained and horrendous (first line, track one -- CLOUDED!!! BY THE BLISS OBSCURA!!!), while Luc Lemay's vocals are downright deep and brutal (third line, track one -- "INTRA LIMPIDUS... OBSCURA!!!!"). Both guitarists/vocalists carried the general artistic direction of the album (including the lyrics, all written by both) for their main contributions (along with vocals), and Luc Lemay plays the viola in "Earthly Love". Steve Cloutier (bass) and Patrick Robert (drums), despite no lyrical or thematic involvement, make their significance clear by the immense precision of the playing of their instruments. Both the drums and bass are absolutely perfect, and extremely complicated to boot.

Also noteworthy is the production of the album. How one would preserve that much clarity in such a chaotic, distorted and powerful force of music is beyond me, and equal to (if not better than) the audiophility of groups such as Steely Dan.

Lyrical themes are very dark and mysterious ("Obscura", indeed), dealing with what *I* have interpreted (so far, I have a long way to go) as themes of paradox and absolute truth (Obscura), love of Sexuality vs. Nature (Earthly Love) and corporeal hatred (The Carnal State).

Honestly, the capabilities of this album are mind blowing. If you feel up to the task of solving this mental Rubik's Cube, Obscura can take you to other dimensions, all beautiful, ethereal, horrendous, sorrowful and mysterious. In my very humble opinion, the best time I have ever had listening to this album was when I was so tired my eyes were rolling back into my head... when the subconscious takes over, this album dominates everything.

To those of you who love primitive death metal, this is probably not for you. For those who cherish inventiveness, adventure and self-challenge, hail to the alpha and the omega of true metal.

5 Stars.

EDIT: It's unfortunate collaborators have so much weight in the rating decision, as not all of them have the taste for this kind of stuff. As the one collaborator who pretty much damned this album's rise to glory on ProgArchives said, he doesn't have that avant-garde taste required for this album. I wonder if any of the collaborators do.

This is one of those albums that, amongst thousands of albums, stands out as one of the most significant releases in music. In the vein of metal, the albums that contributed to the genetic make up of the genre are Black Sabbath, Kill 'Em All, Black Metal, Scream Bloody Gore, etc, etc, etc... This album can certainly be added to the same royal family. This album broke all of the rules, and re-wrote the book on what is possible in metal, and music in general. The roots of this band are purely based within death metal. In a vague sense, the gore-drenched riffs of old are still present in the heart of this album, but what was once chugging and maliciousness has been replaced with a beast that is obscure and terrifying. Honestly, this isn't "pretty" music, but it holds my interest more than most within the metal genre.