Yes, Gozu gets thrown into stoner rock band categorization, and for good reason. But no band swings like Gozu swings, and no band sounds like Gozu does, even with the seemingly thousands of stoner bands out there today.
This is very evident on their new record, Gozu VI, which shows some of their metal side too, but keeps their trademarked Gozu sound that you know and love and ratchets up the harmonies and catchiness that help make this band so special.
Marc Gaffney’s unique vocals are at the top of his game while Doug Sherman brings out his shredder for the eight tracks on VI. Banacek kicks all sorts of ass, with Sherman doing his best early 80s metal impression on the solo, simply ripping it up. Killer Khan is another favourite, and the band really layers in the background vocals and the harmonies to really make this group of songs stand out.
Marc Gaffney’s unique vocals are at the top of his game while Doug Sherman brings out his shredder for the eight tracks on VI. Banacek kicks all sorts of ass, with Sherman doing his best early 80s metal impression on the solo, simply ripping it up. Killer Khan is another favourite, and the band really layers in the background vocals and the harmonies to really make this group of songs stand out.
Of course you get the great titles that have no meaning to the lyrics, but with those lyrics you get some of the deepest, personal, and best songs in the band’s career. That is really saying something, given how much I love Gozu. Plus they have a song called Corinthian Leatherface which is great on multiple levels.
Gozu never disappoints, and they don’t here either with VI. They may have even exceeded expectations with these songs. Don’t let the 80s wrestling and old TV titles fool you. Gozu is not screwing around on Gozu VI, an album of the year contender. 9/10
Requiem In White – The Visible Heaven (The Circle Music) [Spike]
Back in 1985, if you wanted to play dark, romantic music in Boston, you were fending for yourself. There was no organized gothic scene to coddle you. Requiem In White built their own fortress out of classical operatic drama and jagged, raw post-punk friction.
Gozu never disappoints, and they don’t here either with VI. They may have even exceeded expectations with these songs. Don’t let the 80s wrestling and old TV titles fool you. Gozu is not screwing around on Gozu VI, an album of the year contender. 9/10
Requiem In White – The Visible Heaven (The Circle Music) [Spike]
Back in 1985, if you wanted to play dark, romantic music in Boston, you were fending for yourself. There was no organized gothic scene to coddle you. Requiem In White built their own fortress out of classical operatic drama and jagged, raw post-punk friction.
By the time they took over New York in the late 80s, headlining over the likes of Christian Death and Type O Negative, they had become a myth, partly because their music was exceptional, and partly because they flat-out refused to play the media game.
After 32 years of silence following their painful 1994 split, The Visible Heaven is a resurrection that shouldn't work on paper, yet it stands as one of the most vital, majestic things I’ve heard in a very long time.
This isn't a band trying to copy modern "darkwave" trends or hide behind cheap drum machines. The record opens with the title track, The Visible Heaven, and the hair on your arms immediately stands up.
This isn't a band trying to copy modern "darkwave" trends or hide behind cheap drum machines. The record opens with the title track, The Visible Heaven, and the hair on your arms immediately stands up.
Lisa Stockton’s vocal range remains an absolute force of nature; she doesn't just sing, she commands the frequency with a classical, theatrical gravity that most of the modern goth circuit can only dream of. Doc Hammer’s guitar work is right where it needs to be, thick, ominous, and shifting seamlessly from jagged metallic riffs to sprawling, gothic soundscapes.
The rhythmic spine of the record is incredibly bitter-sweet. While we deeply feel the absence of the late Chris Walsh on bass, the foundation provided on tracks like Ursuline Sister and True Lovers and Whores is remarkably heavy and physical. Javier Madariaga’s drumming retains that urgent, street-level pulse, a reminder of his roots in Reagan Youth which keeps the "gothic opera" tag firmly anchored in a raw, unvarnished punk reality.
Missa Brevis for the despised king in D minor is the absolute centrepiece of the record. It’s a track that highlights their unique ability to weave classical mass structures into a rock framework without ever feeling pretentious or silly. It’s dense, atmospheric, and has a cold-blooded elegance that reminds me of early Paul Chain or Sex Gang Children at their most creative. The guitars don't just play riffs; they build a grey, towering cathedral in your living room.
The rhythmic spine of the record is incredibly bitter-sweet. While we deeply feel the absence of the late Chris Walsh on bass, the foundation provided on tracks like Ursuline Sister and True Lovers and Whores is remarkably heavy and physical. Javier Madariaga’s drumming retains that urgent, street-level pulse, a reminder of his roots in Reagan Youth which keeps the "gothic opera" tag firmly anchored in a raw, unvarnished punk reality.
Missa Brevis for the despised king in D minor is the absolute centrepiece of the record. It’s a track that highlights their unique ability to weave classical mass structures into a rock framework without ever feeling pretentious or silly. It’s dense, atmospheric, and has a cold-blooded elegance that reminds me of early Paul Chain or Sex Gang Children at their most creative. The guitars don't just play riffs; they build a grey, towering cathedral in your living room.
The back half Solus Sum, Suffer And Sleep, and Reckless In Misery doubles down on the melancholy. I’ve been listening to Cold Or Divine in the car, and the way the vocals layer over that crawling, feedback-laden groove is pure, late-night catharsis and could be the reason for the odd speeding ticket late at night too. It’s honest, pained, and entirely unmasked music for people who understand that goth isn't about the hair dye; it’s about the soul of the noise.
The Visible Heaven is a heavy, shimmering triumph of composition and intent, proving that some myths are entirely real. For those of us who still remember goth from the 80s, this isn't just a record, it’s a home. 9/10
Iron Kingdom - Shadows And Dust (Steel Shark Records) [Adz Redpath]
Forming in 2011 in Vancouver, Canada This is Iron Kingdom's 6th full length studio album and coincides with their 15th anniversary as a band, having had quite the illustrious career to date with support slots with everyone from Anvil, HammerFall, Angra, Metal Church and Jag Panzer to the mighty Flotsam and Jetsam, and with many festival and tour shows under their belt this group have a definite calibre and track record to be respected.
A self proclaimed self produced and mainly DIY group in most every aspect of what they do is not so common at this level and especially within the traditional, classic and prog metal genres. At this stage a band would usually hit big studios and big production to give the huge sound that is so iconic within these styles but to their credit they as a band have taken a different route.
Iron Kingdom - Shadows And Dust (Steel Shark Records) [Adz Redpath]
Forming in 2011 in Vancouver, Canada This is Iron Kingdom's 6th full length studio album and coincides with their 15th anniversary as a band, having had quite the illustrious career to date with support slots with everyone from Anvil, HammerFall, Angra, Metal Church and Jag Panzer to the mighty Flotsam and Jetsam, and with many festival and tour shows under their belt this group have a definite calibre and track record to be respected.
A self proclaimed self produced and mainly DIY group in most every aspect of what they do is not so common at this level and especially within the traditional, classic and prog metal genres. At this stage a band would usually hit big studios and big production to give the huge sound that is so iconic within these styles but to their credit they as a band have taken a different route.
Unfortunately this does show in the overall sound, whilst this is their first release in their own self constructed studio I feel it is underwhelming on the production front, lacking both definition and separation overall and in particular with the drums which are lacking a punch that is sorely missed, both the cymbals and guitars feel washed out and almost hark back to the mp3 era, the bass guitar is almost non existent sonically and missing the frequencies that fill the low end of the mix which even falls flat when the bass is alone such as on the intro of the track Blood And Steel and for majority of the record.
There is a sound here that speaks to everything being mastered at too low a hz level with samples sounding like they were low rez ripped from Youtube and a lack of space within the mix that even programmed music ad's these days, this is missed greatly given the scope of the songs on display here and has more of a production sound that is reminiscent of the first Iron Maiden album before the remasters, not bad but not up to modern standards.
The musicianship here is very strong and undeniably adept as the band puts a strong foot forward in these areas most of all, and whilst being masterful in every instrumental aspect of their craft this release however simply lacks the songs to carry it to any massive heights in what is a very strong scene.
There is a sound here that speaks to everything being mastered at too low a hz level with samples sounding like they were low rez ripped from Youtube and a lack of space within the mix that even programmed music ad's these days, this is missed greatly given the scope of the songs on display here and has more of a production sound that is reminiscent of the first Iron Maiden album before the remasters, not bad but not up to modern standards.
The musicianship here is very strong and undeniably adept as the band puts a strong foot forward in these areas most of all, and whilst being masterful in every instrumental aspect of their craft this release however simply lacks the songs to carry it to any massive heights in what is a very strong scene.
Mashing the more classic thrash metal and NWOBHM with soaring vocals and shredding solo's mixed with the anthemic gang vocal sections and almost symphonic parts there is a clear calibre here but lacks its own distinct voice. Hopefully the next album will find them more at ease with their new studio and more able to elevate what they have as despite my criticisms this is clearly a band that knows what they want.
Worth a listen but not a head turner. 6/10
Your Spirit Dies - It Is Well (MNRK Heavy) [GC]
Lots to like about EP’s, if you like it you can dive into the rest o the bands catalogue or look forward to what is coming in the future, if its god awful you can be pleased that its short and you have wasted much time on it and move on quickly! So, with all that in mind, I have the new EP from Your Spirit Dies, It Is Well is it bin or get in???
They literally blast out of the blocks on Starless and it is full of the anger and brutality you want but the drums kind of drown everything out at first, when anything else does come through you get a familiar modern sounding metalcore sound that is overtly electronic and this takes something away from the overall sound, like it decent but it sounds to clean and produced, I know that sounds mental but you need a bit of dirtiness to really do this justice, I honestly have no idea why they have decided to put When Peace, Like A River on this as its just 56 seconds of ambient background filler?
Worth a listen but not a head turner. 6/10
Your Spirit Dies - It Is Well (MNRK Heavy) [GC]
Lots to like about EP’s, if you like it you can dive into the rest o the bands catalogue or look forward to what is coming in the future, if its god awful you can be pleased that its short and you have wasted much time on it and move on quickly! So, with all that in mind, I have the new EP from Your Spirit Dies, It Is Well is it bin or get in???
They literally blast out of the blocks on Starless and it is full of the anger and brutality you want but the drums kind of drown everything out at first, when anything else does come through you get a familiar modern sounding metalcore sound that is overtly electronic and this takes something away from the overall sound, like it decent but it sounds to clean and produced, I know that sounds mental but you need a bit of dirtiness to really do this justice, I honestly have no idea why they have decided to put When Peace, Like A River on this as its just 56 seconds of ambient background filler?
This is really not needed and almost slightly insulting to include on this release, put it on an album to break up the flow of as an intro/outro on this? 100% pointless and annoying! So, Whispers In Omen is the next and final track, once again it has all the huff and puff but is just so overproduced that you miss certain things and have to go back to really pick them up and when you’re not actually that bothered about the sound it grates massively, the breakdown in this song saves it from falling into total mediocrity but only just the rest has all been done before and much better.
So, for me this falls directly into the move on quickly category, 2 songs are not enough for me to really form a strong opinion on a band and what I heard made me just think they are ok but I won’t be going out of my way to listen to anything in the future and that’s a shame. 4/10
So, for me this falls directly into the move on quickly category, 2 songs are not enough for me to really form a strong opinion on a band and what I heard made me just think they are ok but I won’t be going out of my way to listen to anything in the future and that’s a shame. 4/10
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