Genre : Groove Metal
Label : NoiseArt Records
Origin : Switzerland
Rating : 8.0 / 10
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Switzerland's Gurd - which reads "drug" backwards, boy, do I have the Sherlock going on! - unleashes the avid groove metal animal on high octane convince power, and, funnily enough, the lead singer on this debut does a pretty fine job at imitating the vocal style-, even the mere vocal timber of Pantera's Philip Anselmo.
The LP, thank God & Co. and related creators, has a relentless, insatiable urge to hammer you into the nearest wall with the constant sonic rumble it summons and maintains during its eventful 44 minutes, so, if you are looking for the radically intense side of the groove, then this here piece of aural rocket powered bomb is just the one you want to hop on to. The lady sitting on it already is not too hopeless to tolerate, either. Read more to investigate how this release seeks to communicate its massive agenda.
Gurd's debut is heftily produced old school - diffo not a term to wield as weapon in a rant - groove metal with very limited urge present in it to go for the melodic chorus noodle-hooks, and, even when it does that for a minute or two, the disc's propensity to turn commandingly rabid again at any moment without warning, is kept intact in the instant vicinity. This album looks pretty good being in a constant rampage mode, and it is noticeable that the more "gentle" structures of the builds are mainly there to prepare the road for yet another rumble that is about to express its radical character.
There are some key hindrances to this release, as well, and pretty grim ones at that : track number 5, Higher Meaning features some supremely terrible backup vocalist, - backup tormented soul with a coffee addiction and no coffee?? - who obviously managed to escape from the studio people who tried to fill him up on sedation pills. This entity of unknown origins - and let's hope it remains THAT way - truly gives out signals from his throat that immediately register as successive pop-ups of highly illegal space-time rifts that makes the most renowned metalcore plastic hellspawn crumble through all floors to feel embarrassed along the whole way back to toy-hell.
The album also makes some quite strange decisions along the way to smuggle half a smile on your face, like track number 7, called Blame Someone Else : the minor issue herein is not too bad, and it gravitates around the vocal contribution. The Anselmo imitation sometimes sounds relatively forced - nevertheless somewhat efficient - herein. Tame accent issues : imminent. But, on top of that, an authentically "sick", vile mid-tempo build with a vibe that rides on a near-psychotic rant of threats, - Pantera's Walk, anyone? - is interrupted by a super-tepid - is this an oxymoron? - metalcore chorus that diligently sucks mummified camel tits and I don't like it.
It is safe to say though that the album has only minor blemishes to encounter along the way, and even those do not conflict with the oh!, so peaceful institute of instant tolerability. It is worth mentioning that the album wraps things up nice and relevant with a groove metal quasi-instrumental epic clocking in at 6:40. It is a relative rarity to hear a groove metal epic, as far as I know. A tight, angry, authentic contribution fueled by proper love towards the genre. And, coming to think of it, the metalcore action figure lich in track number 5 is more priceless than hideous.
Rating : 8.0 / 10
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