Beyond Death

Hey cool… Gouge have released a debut album! The title is a bit of a misnomer, because there is nothing ‘beyond’ about it; old school death metal sums it up. But note that it is not “old school death metal” of the dank and “cavernous” variety that is currently all the rage. Instead, it is full of short, punchy tracks (often two minutes or less) which brim with sweaty, punk-influenced energy. Repulsion, maybe, or even the grunting style of Autopsy, albeit with faster tempos.Nothing outstays its welcome. The riffing on Breath of the Reaper hooks me in every time I play the album; only 2:24 in length, but it encompasses the most explosive high-energy wrath alongside grimy mid-tempo thrash grooves. It reminds me of some other newcomers, the arguably even-more-awesome Zom, whose debut album was one of my favourite releases of last year. The sub two-minute tunes (I Smell of Rotten Death, Putrefaction, Uncontrollable Madness) always crackle with that sense of uncontrollable urgency that this kind of music should have.Then, there is the ‘epic’ title track that closes the album. This is where it (at least for a minute or so at a time) becomes longer and slower (at over four minutes); the Autopsy similarity is strongest here, because it is laden with hooks that are as catchy as they are gloomy and grim. Great way to finish a great album.