Time for another Ghoulgotha review! The band was cool enough to chat with me before the show and sign my shit, give me stickers and a set list, etc., so thanks guys!
I'll come back to them, though. First up for the night was Mutant Supremacy who had some great 'Venom'-ous Motorvibes to their late 80's/early 90's USA/Swedish-infused Death Metal... Brooklyn Style! Whatever I mean by that; anyway; they played first and were lots of fun, I'll have to make it a point to catch more of their shows!
Horrendous came up next, and have been rotting on the tongues of Death Metal fans lately. Their 2014 release "Ecdysis" didn't win me over until about 1/2 through, but I do like 2012's "The Chills." I must admit that their sound made more sense live; something clicked that didn't before for me. Horrendous have what so few bands in general have, let alone in the Death Metal realm: originality. Instantly sounding like Death Metal, but overall not quite like any other band (though you'll hear nods and influences to many classic acts, especially American, particularly early Death), what makes them special, to me, was the feeling that this was a band right on the cusp of Death Metal developing. They sound like they are pushing Heavy Metal and Thrash Metal beyond their limits into something foul and undiscovered, much as it must have been when Massacre, Death, Possessed, et al., were first exhuming their own style from the graveyards of Metal past. Check 'em out live, you'll be glad you did!
Ghoulgotha took stage next and had an awesome set, albeit shortened for time constraints. This sucked especially hard for me as Ghoulgotha was my main reason for going to the show (not to disparage the other bands!). Their new album is mind-blowing, destined to rank high on my personal 'Best of 2015' list. I'm still hoping to see live versions of 'Arteries Unblest' and 'Abnormal Paralysis' sometime guys!
Gravehill closed out the night with a powerhouse set (despite bass issues) of dirty Thrashin' Death Metal madness (with a slight touch of gritty, early Black Metal...). Gravehill, like Horrendous, I was somewhat indifferent to in recorded form (though the "Metal Of Death" Demo is great!), prior to seeing them live. Also like Horrendous, much changed in the live arena; Gravehill are so energetic and engaging live, not to mention their sound is much heavier! I definitely need to go back and give their catalog another listen...
To end (as I began) on a personal note, I bought a copy of Mindrot's 'Endeaver' 7" single from Gravehill drummer Rhett Davis' distro at the show. While this is a great score in its own right, to purchase it from Rhett Davis, best known to me for his work with Morgion, was incredible! Realize that Morgion are amongst my all-time top Death Metal bands, ever; they hold their own with the likes of diSEMBOWELMENT for something special that hits hard and deep. This includes their early brutal stuff and the later, melodic stuff. I was exposed to their Relapse Records catalog first via the re-issue (not being old or cool enough to discover the demo or 7" first), and without further derailing this post into Morgion territory, it made a huge impact on me that hasn't lessened; perfect listening for sunrise and sunset!
*Review and photos copyright The Samnambulist, 2015*
No comments:
Post a Comment