Gorguts — Obscura
Originally released in 1998, and out of print for a few years, Obscura was the third album of Canadian four-piece Gorguts- which is seen as an important record in both technical and Avant grade death metal circles. It’s one of a hell of brutal-to-jarringly discordant, brain-scrambling, at points densely deranged ride of an album- which still remains impactful and sonically visceral twenty-four years after its release. Here we have a very much-needed CD release of the album on Punishment 18 Records.
The CD comes presented in a clear jewel case- this features a twenty-page glossy inlay booklet, with a three page write up about the album by the band's vocalist/ guitarist. Along with full lyrics and original album artwork too.
Goreguts were formed in 1989 in Sherbrooke, Quebec. And for their first two albums, 1991’s Considered Dead, and 1993’s The Erosion of Sanity they were more of a formal and straight death metal ventures. After these two the band went into a five-year limbo, and when they returned the line-up drastically shifted with the only original member being Luc Lemay.
Obscura appeared in 1998- it’s a twelve-track album- which runs just over an hour mark. And really there is nothing formal or straightforward about its take on the death metal form- all the tracks are often jarring and complex beasts that are built around discordant-to-darting riffing and unconventional time signatures. With an active use of odd guitar textures/ tones and Viola(played by Lemay) evident throughout the whole album.
As an album, it never really lets up in its warped and often deranged take on death metal, but it’s all played with genuine technical talent and flair. The line-up for the album was as follows- Luc Lemay – guitar, artistic direction, vocals, viola, artwork. Steeve Hurdle – guitar, vocals, concept idealisation, artistic direction, songs and album title. Steve Cloutier – bass guitar. Patrick Robert – drums.
And really Obscura is an album that is best approached as one long chaotic twisting ‘n’ turn trip, instead of twelve separate tracks- as it all fits & work together in such a deranged and brain-scrambling way. Though that’s not to say there are no highlights. We have rapidly chugging ‘n’ tight discordant riff meets snaking ‘n’ rushing drums of the title track, which later drops in dizzying guitar tone blends, and sudden darts into more lumbering riff craft. There's the meaty tolling ‘n’ rolling bass bound and scrawling clean-yet- sinister guitars of “Nostalgia”- which nicely twists 'n' turns its speed along its length, even shifting into angular groove-type moments.
In the album's second half we move from the lopsided gallop, rush, and seesaw of “Subtle Body” which shifts between speeding pelts and mid-pace discordancy. We have “Faceless Ones” which rapidly moves between squalling ‘n’ pitch chop awkwardness and muddy-yet-forking slug. With the album playing out the instrumental track “Sweet Silence" which is anything but silent with its darting, if seemingly winding down mix of discordant slug, fork, sour scuttle, and wonky chug.
Obscura is certainly a deranged and twisted take on the death metal form, performed with great musical prowess and demented flair by the four-piece. And it’s truly wonderful to have it back available for all to purchase again, as it really had shot up to crazy prices on the collector’s market.