Release
date: June 10th
2016. Label: Ripple Music. Format: CD/DD/Vinyl
Revival
– Tracklisting
Nature
Boy
Bubble
Time
Big
Casino
Lorenzo
Llamas
Oldie
By
Mennen
Dee
Dee McCall
Tin
Chicken
Band
Members:
Marc
Gaffney- vox/guitar
Mike
Hubbard-drums
Doug
Sherman- guitar
Joe
Grotto- Bass
Jeff
Fultz-guitar (sometimes)
Review:
Anyone
familiar with the Boston-based quartet Gozu already knows their
ability to fuse the groove of stoner/blues rock with rhythmic lines
straight from the golden era of Seattle’s grunge, without ignoring
more classic (heavy) metal passages. Since 2009, with the release of
their seven track EP, Gozu lie between heaviness and lightness,
supported by catchy melodies deeply rooted in raunchy, bluesy swagger
and ballsy metal singing of vocalist Marc ‘Gaff’ Gaffney. All in
Gozu works perfectly in a sort of strange alchemy. Their following
albums, Locust Season (a must have!) and The Fury Of A Patient Man
(both under the wings of Small Stone Records), have consolidated
their riff-oriented stoner rock that hits the mark with a ‘shot in
the face’ that leaves no way to the listener.
But,
what about their new album? When Steve asked me to review Revival, I
had no idea what to expect from their latest work. I was afraid of
being faced yet another well played and well produced album, but with
something too much similar to previous releases. At a first and fast
listening Revival might sound exactly as expected, but a more careful
listening hides something different that makes it unique compared to
their past productions.
In
Revival, Gozu expand their personal dichotomy of heaviness and
melody, throwing up tons of riffs with a rhythm section that leaves
no way, perhaps due to the change of line-up with the arrival of
bassist Joe Grotto (Motherboar) and Warhorse former drummer Mike
Hubbard.
In
this work, the roots of stoner rock fuses with the darkest part of
Seattle’s grunge scene. Black Sabbath meet Soundgarden and Alice in
Chains, which in turn meet Kyuss, QOTSA, Mastodon and 16 so
personally as not to be never boring. The opener Nature Boy is marked
by a wall of riffs and rhythm section that remind me the QOTSA of
Songs for the Deaf. Not by chance is the first official single.
Bubble
Time marks a change of time, slowing and expanding the times in a
continuous swing between stoner and heavy rock, coming very close in
the first half of the song to the Alice in Chains of Dirt.
Big
Casino, Gozu are at ease with more dilated sounds, with a psychedelic
vein that reminds me the Kyuss of Freedom Run. Such a feeling goes on
in the next song, Lorenzo Llamas (!), the second longest piece of
Revival, with more than 7 minutes starting with heavy psych sounds
and ending with a space solo sustained by a groovy rhythm section.
In
the middle of Revival, we find Oldie, which sounds like a classic
heavy metal song but with a surprising solution at the end. By
Mennen, the bass line, is heavy as a boulder, introduces an awesome
bluesy/stoner song, masterfully supported by a vocalization that
reaches a peak at the end, when the voice of Marc juggles perfectly
in the absence of any instrument. Sublime.
Revival
ends with the short Dee Dee McCall, a powerful song halfway between
Mastodon and QOTSA and the heavy/psychedelic Tin Chicken, full of
everything Gozu are able to offer to the listener. An eight minute
trip that does not disappoint the expectations of those who, like me,
love long compositions which are at the true meaning of
progressive-space-rock.
Finally,
a note on the artwork that, in my opinion, is always the calling card
of a band. Simply amazing. Essential but effective. I definitively
love it.
Do
yourself a favor. Listen to Gozu discography, from the beginning to
the end, and you will realize the huge potential of the band.
Congrats to Ripple Music for betting on this bigwig!
Words
by Bruno Bellisario
Thanks
to Richard at Sheltered Life for the promo. Revival will be available
to buy via Ripple Music on CD/DD/Vinyl from June 10th
2016.
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