From: crvich@csugrad.cs.vt.edu (Ernest Crvich)
Newsgroups: alt.thrash
Subject: Reviews
Keywords: Gorguts and Incantation
Date: 27 Jan 93 00:59:04 GMT
Organization: Virginia Tech Computer Science Dept, Blacksburg, VA


	Below are reviews of recent Gorguts and Incantation albums.
Remember : what you are about to read are *opinions*...flaming such
things is futile...you will be assimilated.

	Today I bought Gorguts' new CD, "The Erosion Of Sanity".  Lyrics
are included, cover art by [one of my favorite artists] Dan Seagrave, a
band pic is on the back, a nifty portrait (drawn, fairly good actually...
the noses look wrong though) of the band is inside, along with Blue Grape
merchandise (typical metal shirts/hats offer you've seen in many other
albums) info.  The CD itself is a [poor] slightly enlarged version of the
portrait I mentioned, and is colored purple(!).
	Enough with the physical elements, you say?  Well, the music is
just a bit disappointing for me.  I do indeed like it, but...  Ok, my
reasoning?  It's a bit too chaotic.  The guitar and bass are plenty brutal
enough, and the drumming is quite competent, but the songwriting ("riff-
writing") needs help.  Heck, I even like the vocals...they're quite aud-
ible amongst all the chaos, but don't get in the way.  Luc sounds very
slightly like Chuck Schuldiner in a few spots, but overall is more brutal
and less screechy.
	So what's my dirt on the album?  The riffs are constantly chang-
ing and don't seem to stay on any fixed course.  Well, ok, you're saying,
what about Sadus?!  Yeah, I really like Sadus a great deal for just this
fact...they have tons of riffs in most of their songs.  However, Sadus
seem to have more unity in their execution...it sounds like each band
member is driving (at his own speed and with his own riff) toward a com-
mon goal...you can hear it...a theme of some sort is being followed.  With
Gorguts, it doesn't seem like the musicians (and they *are* good, I'm not
debating that, they're just not great *together*) are in sync too well.
Another band that is like this is Napalm Death.  Of course, ND is playing
a different style of music than Gorguts, so that's not a perfect comparison.
Well, so is Sadus, but I think you've gotten my point : I can't really find
a "groove" (for lack of a better term) in any of the Gorguts songs.  This
may indeed be the style the guys are going for, but it doesn't work for
me.  Suffocation, Cannibal Corpse (at least Tomb Of The Mutilated...I 
haven't heard any of their older stuff), Grave, and Entombed (for exam-
ples) are playing roughly the same style of music as Gorguts, but these
other bands make more memorable songs (ones in which the riffs, no matter
how many there are in one song, are lasting upon the mind).
	My recommendation : good [well-executed] chaos-style death metal,
but probably not worth paying full price for...save your money for the
upcoming Suffocation and Entombed.

	Well, I also found a used cassette of Incantation's "Onward To
Golgotha" for only one dollar.  Naturally, I bought it.  ;)  Included are 
lyrics and a band pic (but lacked the names of the band members!).  The
music reminded me a little of Unleashed, but not as good.  They tend to
stay with slow, plodding rhythms, but occasionally speed up for a short
while.  The vocals are uninspired and kind of boring (though rough and
grunting as you would expect), as is the music.  The riffs are rather
simple and forgetful.
	Yes, this album has been around for a little while, but I hadn't
seen any mention of it on here, so I figured I might keep someone from
paying full price for it.  :)  My recommendation : pass it up...unless
you can get it cheap!  :)  The things these guys are doing have been
done, and done better (c.f., Grave, Unleashed).

	Later!
-- 
Ernest M. Crvich                       Pressure building inside your head 
crvich@csugrad.cs.vt.edu               Compression pushing to the red 
general@vtvm1.cc.vt.edu                Limbs are numb, control is lost 
Blacksburg, Virginia                   Bag of blood is about to bust