Review Summary: Chainsaw riffs, punky vibes and a healthy dose of grim imagery; it's nothing all that new, but it's a blast all the same.
Once the menacing piano of opening track 'Basement Funeral Hymn' slows to its incomplete finale, it becomes very, very plain as to what Malmö based duo Gorgosaur bring to the table. An obvious yet satisfying throwback to the infamous Stockholm sound,
Lurking Among Corpses delivers grinding guitar tones, blast beats and acidic growls in abundance, clipping much of the frivolities that 'progression' tends to bring in favour of a streamlined recreation.
Peel back the sheen of putrefaction that surrounds
Lurking Among Corpses however, and the result is something far more 'alive' than it may immediately appear. Gorgosaur are at their most colourful, if such a word should be used, when Åsa Hagström has control of vocal duties. This by no means belittles Martin Schönherr's ability, whose swampy growl forms the primary medium for their tales of the underworld - indeed, his performance on the title track is a highlight of the whole album. Yet, Hagström changes the atmosphere simply with the addition of her voice, enhancing the crusty nature of the riffs by virtue of a vitriolic, more punk-fuelled delivery. As a result, tracks like 'Body Snatchers' and 'Pyromaniac Narrations' stand more as twisted human accomplices to the denizens of the underworld usually portrayed in these stories. More human, yet no less horrifying.
There's honestly little to no hiding from the fact that Gorgosaur are playing homage to their Stockholm forefathers on
Lurking Among Corpses. The heightened punk influence presents something of an individuality, but largely speaking Gorgosaur aren't reinventing the wheel; grotesque images of exhumation, flesh-eating and the ilk are developed with glee alongside chainsaw riffs, and its succinct nature removes much in the way of subtlety. It arrives, tears and grapples and masticates for half an hour, and while the details may be hazy, the experience as a whole is grim. But also enjoyable, perhaps?
