GOZU - 'Gozu VI' Album Review

3 minutes ago
3 min read

Tracklist:

1. Corinthian Leatherface

2. Midnight Express

3. Killer Khan

4. Corner Lariat

5. Banacek

6. They Did Know Karate

7. Gimme The Lute

8. Corvette Summer

Bostonian Stoner Metal group Gozu are back with 6th album, aptly titled 'Gozu VI', released May 15th via Blacklight Media.

'Corinthian Leatherface' kicks the album off with a bang, a bombastic riff cutting right through from the off, being joined by drums before the whole band joins the fray. It's a perfect example of the higher energy side of the stoner metal genre, riff driven to the absolute max, with some phenomenal musicianship and the vocals to match, elevating things out of the sludge in a fast paced opener.

This, however, changes in 'Midnight Express', slowing things right down with a dark, creeping riff, blending that sludginess of the doom side of the genre with angelic vocal harmonies that work so well, and that same feeling is then echoed in the guitar solo, combining the low and slow guitar with a slighlty higher harmonic before falling back into the uniform riff, given a steady, rhythmic heartbeat of a drum line, gradually picking up the pace towards the end of the track before letting it fade out.

'Killer Khan' then gives us a hybrid between the first two tracks, presenting a sludgy doomy riff with a good kick of pace, almost feeling like the Wario equivalent of System Of A Down's 'Aerials' in places. Each member is perfectly in sync, providing a hypnotic musicality through the crunchy guitars, offsetting the soaring vocals that still maintain a level of grit.

'Corner Lariat' slows things back down, this time in a more contemplative fashion, showcasing a softer side from each member of the band, but in particular the higher-key vocals. There's still an undertone of menace, but it feels like a twisted ballad of sorts. It builds in places, but these builds are still more subtle and restrained, as is the guitar solo, in this near 7 minute effort.

'Banacek' kicks things back up several notches in every facet; the guitars back to the fast paced sludge, the growl back in the vocals, the quick yet still restrained drums, and then there's the borderline thrash level solo, with other moments that let each member shine individually. It really shows the diversity that Gozu are capable of in a genre that can run the risk of being very samey.

'They Did Know Karate' brings us back to another meandering, creeping riff, fitting for the longest track on the album (clocking in at 7:23). Once again, there are some phenomenal vocal harmonies that still manage to feel very understated. The mixing in the bridge around the three minute mark is spectacular, with the guitars feeling like they're rotating around you, which I feel would be even more spectacular while listening as the genre was intended (if you catch my drift).

Penultimate track 'Gimme The Lute' trades the creeping for winding with a riff that heads up and down the neck like a yo-yo before resuming the galloping chuggy affair, providing a nice contrast to keep things interesting, not that the album needs it. There's, again, plenty of menace, coming about halfway through in the backing to the solo, which extends through the rest of the verses nearly to the end of the track in a way that never feels braggadocios.

Rounding out the record is 'Corvette Summer', which gives another phenomenal display of guitar to open before falling in methodical unison yet again. It may be more of a similar thing, but it doesn't feel stale or uninteresting, and, once more, contains some individual flashes of brilliance that sets the track apart before fading out to bring the album to a final close.

Like I said earlier, Stoner Metal often runs the risk of being very samey, but 'Gozu VI' uses that as an advantage. The band grips your attention from the very start and doesn't let go for a single moment, and with releases like this, I'm surprised that they're not being mentioned in the same breaths as bands like Electric Wizard, Sleep and Kyuss.