Gorguts - The Erosion Of Sanity (1993)

The follow up to 'Considered Dead'. Another heart-warming slab of brutal, technical US death metal. For me it brings to mind summer skies, as a host of US death metal acts swallowed the metal scene in the early '90s. Gorguts at the time were cast as just another band (albeit from Canada), but looking back well over a decade later you can appreciate the tight musicianship and aggressive nature of this bludgeoning beast of a record.

I can see the straight metal heads and glam-metallers running to the safety of their parent's arms as Gorguts burst through the barriers and blitz the place, leaving human debris all over the shop. If you can see beyond the guttural abomination and sit through this slab of carnage, you'll wonder at the high speed riffs, and be grateful for the bruising yet complex drumming, and find so much more to chew on than the facade you feared so much.

Highly talented are Gorguts, make no bones about it, 'The Erosion...' won't appeal to everyone, but if heavy, brutal death metal is your thing then you'll be salivating over this opus. It's no thrills to some extent, slotting alongside the likes of Monstrosity, but lacking say the identity of an Obituary, but over the decades bands such as this have remained far more potent and consistent than the so-called big bands, and it's bands such as Gorguts which keep the scene alive.

'The Erosion..' is not as straight forward as the debut, it's intricate guitars interwoven with morbid yet frantic drums, and Luc's gruff bellow lift this into the realms which the band would rule several years after. 'Orphans Of Sickness' and 'Path Beyond Premonition' are mighty slabs of infested rage, excellently structured and perfectly executed. However, to the ear of the naive this may sound just like another death metal record, but the beauty with this type of death metal is it's ability to not only pound the skull, but mesmerise with its complicated rhythms. It's not easy to sell death metal to the uninitiated but for those who appreciate Gorguts and this style of extreme music, they'll find 'The Erosion...' a weighty platter and monstrous listen.
7.5/10