Review Summary: A truly breathtaking experience that few could hope to topple; this boasts fun and creative riffing and intense drumming along with the vocals of Satan himself.
23 of 25 thought this review was well writtenWhen you think of death metal, one of the first bands that should roll off of your tongue should be Gorguts. The band has had a monumental impact on the scene with their willingness to experiment with progressive song structures and interesting jazz elements in their music. To date the band has recorded four albums; with Obscura frequently being listed as the finest. It is generally acknowledged that the band has scarcely put a foot wrong throughout their career and many are rightfully anticipating the release of their upcoming fifth studio album later in 2013. Of their releases to date their debut Considered Dead is the most straightforward death metal album they have recorded and is an album that is synonymous with "fantastically executed death metal".
The first thing many notice when first hearing this album is how much of a punch the guitar work really packs. Unlike many bands in extreme metal, Gorguts make use of only one guitarist and Good Lord can that one man riff. The ever changing guitar work of Sylvain Marcoux is one of the best things about the debut release by the band. Whilst this is nowhere near as progressively oriented as their later works it still makes use of some great changes in tempo. The riffs to this release are many in number and are all well written and have a lot of variety to them. Considered Dead utilizes many complex chord based riffs but Marcoux also dives into a seemingly never-ending barrel of creativity to pull out some catchy tremolo picked lines. Stiff And Cold is a good example of how frequent the riff-changes are on Considered Dead; switching between some constant picking riffs to power chords that could not be better placed. Hematological Allergy is the one song on here in which Marcoux gives a brief glimpse into the future of the band with its intricate structure and wildly contrasting tempos.
The drumming is powerful and Stephane Provencher's performance is as unhinged as the guitar work is. It is very rare on this release that the drum patterns will stay the same for more than a few measures and yet it doesn't feel disjointed nor does it ever really let up in intensity. The double bass madness on Disincarnated is just one fine example of the nature of the drumming on this album-fast and non stop; with a balls to the wall attitude. The drumming during the more melodic section of the title track is another magnificent flurry of drum beats that stands out, leading straight into another point that should be made about this album-the sheer amount of melody to it. The melodic side of Gorguts does not come in the same vein as the Gothenburg scene's melody does, but it is clearly there; with much catchier and more memorable riffs than many extreme metal bands could even hope to think up. This is one thing that helps Gorguts' albums to flow so well and sets them apart from the vast majority of their peers. A Gorguts album is one best heard in its entirety than trying to single out individual tracks from it.
The vocal performance on Considered Dead ranks up there among the finest in its genre in my opinion. Luc Lemey sounds as though he is unleashing the spawn of hell when he opens his mouth on this release. His voice is both very low in pitch and yet completely decipherable; allowing everyone to understand perfectly the gore-flecked messages he aims to deliver. When this is coupled with the low-end rumbling of the bass guitar (courtesy of Eric Giguere) then the album completes an incredible line-up of technically proficient musicians. Nothing on this album really pushes the boundaries of extreme music as their later works would but songs such as Rottenatomy have such incredibly dynamic tempos that it was obvious what direction the band would take on their next release. Considered Dead is an album that many will want to return to upon first listening to uncover all the majestic moments they missed upon their first listen whilst attempting to soak everything in.
This is a dose of death metal that hits hard with some enjoyable riffing and creative drum patterns and demonic vocals. I highly recommend this to anyone who hasn't heard a whole lot of death metal and is seeking for a new outlet for their restrained anger to head-bang along to; as they do not come a whole lot better than this.
