Release
date: January 2016. Label: Hibernacula/Black Bow Records. Format:
CD/DD
A
Voyage In Solitude – Tracklisting
1.Witch
Hoarder
2.Isolation
3.A
Voyage In Solitude
4.Extinction
Band
Members:
Scott
Taylor – Guitar and Vocals
Gareth
Owen – Bass and Vocals
Gazz
Chambers – Guitar and Vocals
Ben
Weston – Drums
Review:
I
like Garganjua. I like them as a band, and as people. We've been
lucky enough to gig with them a couple of times in the past and hope
to do so many more times in the future.
Gaz
originally sent me a download of their first EP, which I loved, and
so when he told me they were booked into Skyhammer Studio (home of
Chris Fielding who has probably produced more albums in your
collection, than you even realise) to record their full length I was
more than a little bit excited to hear the results.
My
excitement was totally merited because what Garganjua have delivered
with their debut full length "A Voyage In Solitude" is
nothing short of magnificent, and belies their short time together as
a band.
Opening
track "Witch Hoarder" opens with a simple guitar part laced
with the threat of the fuzz and weight that you know is hiding behind
it. And when it kicks in, I can see the heads nodding and the hands
punching the air at venues everywhere across the UK that this track
will no doubt cause.
The
track (and the album as a whole) makes the most of Gaz and Scott's
contrasting vocal styles (a growl that's lower than a whore's
knickers and a Yob- infused clean vocal respectively) and never over
use either one.
"Isolation"
is the albums single with it's radio friendly run time of nine
minutes and is the most mellow and shortest of the albums four
tracks. (Yes 4....) - I'm not actually going to say anything about
this track but will instead direct you to a link to it so you can
hear for yourself how good it is......
Track
3 and album namesake is another beautifully crafted doom opus which
to quote blog boss Steve Howe is a "stunning mix of Yob and
Pallbearer". Guitars and based tuned to God knows what, but it's
VERY low and wonderfully balanced drums, restrained one minute
ringing out huge fills the next. Also notable is Scott's impressive
vocal which takes the lead on this one, and the hook will get stuck
in your head for days at a time.
"Extinction"
closes the album in a similar fashion to the one it began in. Quiet
guitars which again give way to a full assault from the rest of the
band. The thing I love about this track is that whilst it is as
heavy as Jeremy Clarkson's bill from his defence lawyer it also oozes
melody at almost every point.
So
there you have it. Garganjua have delivered a mature, confident and
disgustingly heavy record, that would easily make my end of year list
if it had only been released a month earlier.
"A
Voyage In Solitude" will be available on CD/DD via Hibernacula (CD) and Black Bow Records (Digital Download) in January 2016.
Words
by Simon Ross Williams
Thanks
to Garganjua for the promo. This is a brilliant album and as SID
rightly points out, if this was released a month earlier this would
have been an album of the year contender.
Links:
