Gatherers
" ( mutilator. ) "


3.8
excellent

Review

by Rowan5215 STAFF
November 29th, 2022 | 60 replies


Release Date: 2022 | Tracklist

Review Summary: worship and/or tribute

There's a certain subset of post-hard-emo-tinged-blah blah blahcore that I just find immensely comforting, in spite of the music's strenuous attempts to convince me of the opposite. Gatherers' infuriatingly titled " ( mutilator. ) " is one such album: the band are explicitly striving for a dystopian, post-apocalyptic tone on the album, and it would be unfair to say they never get there, but the sum total of the album is such a succinct, catchy slice of throwback heavyheavy that it's impossible not to become wrapped up in the nostalgia. Within the first three songs, vocalist Rich Weinberger has channeled the spirit of Daryl Palumbo, Bert McCracken and even Finch's Nate Barcalow for a diverse and impressive performance while the band bang out all sorts of jagged fretwork and pummeling rhythms behind him. They even draft in the grandfather of this whole emo-hardcore scene with a brief but worthwhile guest spot from Geoff Rickly on "gift horse". Album highlight "ad nauseam, i drown" is the perfect encapsulation of what Gatherers excel at, built over a gnarly riff that maintains plenty of tension right until the skyscraper of a hook kicks in. Genre veterans have heard all this before, down to the ambient-tinged interlude "spine" and late-album emo ballad "last days numbered on a rotary dial", but Gatherers have an undeniable gift for interpretation and packaging of the familiar that in their hands it feels fresh. Album closer "twelve omaha solemn certainty" hints at a more intense version of the band lurking in their future, where the combination of desolate lyrics and an exquisite buildup of tension and release really does make the band's private hell feel like the apocalypse for a few brief moments. But even if the rest of " ( mutilator. ) " is more of a guided tour through the best parts of the 2000s scene, Gatherers' execution of that vision is enticing enough to get you down in the doomsday bunker, burning scraps of Hot Topic clothing and huddling around the record player for warmth.



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user ratings (153)
3.9
excellent


Comments:Add a Comment 
artificialbox
November 29th 2022


1527 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0 | Sound Off

my only complaint about this record is Geoff Rickly's feature on Gift Horse is barely noticeable :'(

Orb
November 29th 2022


9341 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

Awesome album I just wish the songs were a bit longer and had more, err, songwriting chops. Otherwise a fantastic performance that'll land juuust shy of my year end list.

Josh D.
November 29th 2022


17845 Comments


I'll have to check this out, but no offense, I've grown weary of GJ references wrt to phc bands.

Eons
November 29th 2022


3770 Comments


east coast post-hardcore almost always good, has a specific vibe that post-hardcore from other places don't have

artificialbox
November 29th 2022


1527 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0 | Sound Off

first time I heard the ender on this album it gave me goosebumps and almost brought me to tears.



I was also a little high of shrooms but thats beside the point

LightAndGlass
November 29th 2022


1100 Comments


East-coast post-hardcore is best post-hardcore [2]

Really liking what I'm hearing so far so I'll be giving this some time to see how it grows on me.

onionbubs
November 29th 2022


20673 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

great review glad you covered this. albums a lot of fun. ad nauseam and gift horse are my top jams too

Defmytones
November 29th 2022


71 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

Never heard of this band till this dropped, absolutely stellar album front to back. Might get some flack for this, but I get heavy Brand New "Daisy" and "TDAG" vibes through this.

Muppelope
November 29th 2022


2064 Comments

Album Rating: 4.5

I also get pretty heavy Brand New vibes from this. Some of the lighter sections sound like TDAG-SF era for sure.

Cormano
November 29th 2022


4073 Comments

Album Rating: 3.5

am intrigued, will check

Calc
November 29th 2022


17339 Comments

Album Rating: 3.5

I've heard too much of this music lately that just needs a touch more aggressiveness to be really amazing. the whole sub-genre edging me I swear

mynameischan
Staff Reviewer
November 29th 2022


2406 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

I hear Brand New in the vocals too. Harsh and clean



This is good stuff

mynameischan
Staff Reviewer
November 29th 2022


2406 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

Though in suffocator he does sound a lot like ol Bert from the used

onionbubs
November 29th 2022


20673 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

def heard finch and glassjaw in this the most of anything

mynameischan
Staff Reviewer
November 29th 2022


2406 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

At the beginning of Last Days… he sounds so much like Jesse Lacey



And the way the harsh vocals descend back to cleans at the end of a word is very him too

Teal
November 30th 2022


598 Comments


I’m glad this was covered! +1 for the infuriating title.

Ebola
November 30th 2022


4511 Comments


the vocalist is really great

tcat84
November 30th 2022


1339 Comments


I hear Night Verses Debut sound in this at times. Gift Horse was such a massive single that I was a bit disappointed by the full album but this style Post hardcore is like a warm blanket


intheinbetween
November 30th 2022


5 Comments

Album Rating: 4.5

I've been spinning this album on a daily basis since it was released, and it's probably one of my favorite albums of the year. The influence of Palumbo is there, but I also noticed some vibes from Letlive. (shocking..) and even Underoath. I have to agree I expected a bit more from the Geoff collaboration since you can't barely notice him having an impact on the track.



Great album.





treos777
November 30th 2022


593 Comments

Album Rating: 3.5 | Sound Off

Yeah I'm chiming in with this sounds a lot more Brand New and Glassjaw to me than the Used for some reason, also remind me a lot of The Felix Culpa who were doing this nostalgia for this sound way earlier. Will definitely be bumping my score up, but it is weird like just getting pure nostalgia from an album trying to be 'dark'. Hope they push the sounds weirder and harder in the future and experiment with longer songs, cos they're usually just in and out and I think they could afford to drag shit out a bit.



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