Release Date: July 24th 2026. Record Label: Self Released. Formats: DD
Hymns From The Abyss - Tracklist
1.Hymns
2.Crimson Sun
3.Lost
4.Leaves
Review
Hymns From The Abyss is the debut EP from Doom/Sludge/Stoner Metallers Gatsu who come from New Orleans, Louisiana which plays a big part on how the band deliver their music. There is a great NOLA influence heard within Gatsu’s music but they strive to be different by adding areas of Psych, Grunge and Shoegaze which you can feel throughout this record.
The sound is quite sludge metal oriented with distorted movement with those elements of Grunge, Doom, Fuzz and Stoner Metal allowing Gatsu playing fractured and quite broken instrumental passages with a sudden Doomgaze appetite appearing within the excellent opening tracks of Hymns and Crimson Sun. The vocals are aggressive, emotional and quite commanding all at the same time with Gatsu employing an emotionally charged sense of Nineties Alt-Metal delivery especially with the hard-hitting lyrics.
Gatsu develop and play their best work on the two epic tracks of Crimson Sun and Leaves which feels like Alice In Chains, Nirvana or Soundgarden being given a NOLA makeover but still allowing Gatsu to implement their own creative identity into the music. The overlapping areas of Amplifier Distortion and bleak Shoegaze passages are superbly soulful and beautifully heavy to listen to at the same time.
There’s some small excursions into Drone based grooves but Gatsu are fully committed to developing that harsh Sludge/Stoner Metal landscape which will have you emotionally connected to their music in no time at all. There’s some exquisite Sludge/Stoner Metal riff- worship influenced by the likes of MONOLORD, YOB and ELDER but with that seedy NOLA aspect adding a distorted grime aspect that fully standout to make a lasting impression.
Hymns From The Abyss a stunning debut EP with Gatsu playing to their creative and musical strengths with superbly realized production values allowing this to be one of the best sounding debut EP’s I’ve heard from the underground scene in quite some time.
If you’re in the mood for a Sludge/Stoner Metal record with extra aggression which joins the heavy distorted forces of Psych, NOLA and Doomgaze into a powerful force of nature then GATSU are the band for you.
Words by Steve Howe
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