Gospel
The Loser


4.5
superb

Review

by Scoot USER (47 Reviews)
May 14th, 2022 | 214 replies


Release Date: 2022 | Tracklist

Review Summary: Seventeen years after disappearing into thin air, Gospel returns from the grave to deliver an absolute masterstroke.

Some bands stick around far longer than they rightfully should.

Despite peaking early, their sound gets drawn out and twisted into a hollow portrait of once beautiful beginnings. Lineup changes happen. Recording gaffes take the shine out of otherwise promising works of art. And slowly but surely, the quality that sets them apart from the field ends up devolving - until they are unrecognizable from the pack.

Gospel was a different breed. The Brooklyn-based quartet stepped up to the underground screamo plate and not only set new heights for the genre - they left a legacy that few lesser-known bands possess. 2005’s The Moon is a Dead World was a unique labyrinth of eight tracks that has both stood the test of time and provided a massive amount of influence on follow up acts looking to recapture the magic. The entire album seemed otherworldly, both in sound and in practice - where did this band come from, and how did they manage to turn a genre on its head?

But just as quickly as they arrived, they were gone.

Outside of a vinyl repress and some one-off reunion shows, the band with a rabid cult following that had the potential to sit atop the progressive/hardcore genre they created for years to come decided to part ways. One has to admire the commitment - the members knew they had created their magnum-opus and had nowhere to go but down, so they chose to bow out on their own terms. Yet somewhere along the line, the group had lived fulfilled lives outside of the studio and realized that something was missing. They decided that enough time had passed and the joys of playing together at reunion shows had enough merit to necessitate a long-awaited sophomore attempt.

And with The Loser, all expectations have been met. The sound is every bit as fresh and vibrant as its predecessor, despite a more notable shift towards progressive rock and away from traditional screamo. The musicianship hasn’t lost a single step since the project folded - if anything, the chemistry seems more apparent than ever given the lengthy hiatus. Gospel has always been most notable for the percussion wizardry of Vincent Roseboom, and as the engine behind the band’s sound, he delivers a delicious array of furious fills that dominate the soundscape. Adam Dooling’s signature tortured shrieks are more prominently mixed this time around and carry a huskier tone, as if the album’s title character is dragging around the weight of expectations. And although there isn’t a single track that completely matches the brilliance of “A Golden Dawn”, album standout “Metallic Olives” sure comes close.

With a starving fanbase and sky-high anticipation that preluded this album, it would have been fully understandable if Gospel were not able to recapture the lightning in a bottle from nearly two decades ago. It’s a sheer testament to their raw talent and musicianship that they have returned in such an awe-inspiring way, and by way of doing so their legacy has been etched into music history forever. The natural comparisons to Moon are inevitable, but they are entirely separate pieces and the former's unreachable heights laid the foundation for the more cohesive experience this time around. The Loser, when all is said and done, is anything but.



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Comments:Add a Comment 
MrSirLordGentleman
May 14th 2022


15343 Comments

Album Rating: 4.5

AOTY so far

botb
May 14th 2022


18598 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

Not ready to bump this up to 4.5 just yet but hype to probably do that with repeated listens. Drummer delivers for me completely. 17 years that mf doesn’t miss a fuckin beat

KillJester
May 14th 2022


187 Comments


Absolutey slaps

brainmelter
Contributing Reviewer
May 14th 2022


8438 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0 | Sound Off

Warm Bed is soty for me so far

z00sh
May 14th 2022


641 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

It bangs

Demon of the Fall
May 14th 2022


35955 Comments

Album Rating: 3.5

I wondered how long this would take! A review, not the comeback.



It absolutely delivers as well.

JayEnder
May 14th 2022


21313 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

A shadow of what they once were. An amateurish pastiche of prog rock and post-hardcore

cliches. Here, Gospel sounds more like a hardcore band with a prog gimmick than the highly

adventurous screamo band they once were.



Typical comeback album, let me 1.5

YoYoMancuso
Staff Reviewer
May 14th 2022


19409 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

As a drummer im so excited to listen. Vinnie is a mf demon

JayEnder
May 14th 2022


21313 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

Can't praise this drummer enough, he's a god damn machine.



Tango, Metallic Olives, and Warm Bed are top shelf material.

Scoot
May 14th 2022


22883 Comments

Album Rating: 4.5 | Sound Off

man imagine telling someone ten years ago we would have a follow up to moon

JayEnder
May 14th 2022


21313 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

Still can't believe it honestly. And the fact its *almost* as good as Moon makes it even more surreal

Space Jester
May 14th 2022


11349 Comments


Anyone know if the lineup is still the same?

Kompys2000
May 14th 2022


9483 Comments


Y'all will really get excited about a new album from Gospel when you should be getting excited about the 'Gospel' of our lord and savior Jesus Christ smh

YoYoMancuso
Staff Reviewer
May 14th 2022


19409 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

epic spreading the good news moment

Scoot
May 14th 2022


22883 Comments

Album Rating: 4.5 | Sound Off

nothing was topping moon

Demon of the Fall
May 14th 2022


35955 Comments

Album Rating: 3.5

I would Kompys… but this is better



Praise the true Lord

Pikazilla
May 14th 2022


31485 Comments

Album Rating: 5.0

not better than moon



awesome nonetheless

Demon of the Fall
May 14th 2022


35955 Comments

Album Rating: 3.5

I mean would anyone actually think that?

maybe…



Guess if you’re a old school prog scholar and wanted less of an edge idk, this is slightly more leaning towards that vibe. Less intensity apart from the odd opportune moment. This isn’t a criticism though, I really like the direction they’ve taken. It’s still unmistakably Gospel, no doubt.

Scoot
May 14th 2022


22883 Comments

Album Rating: 4.5 | Sound Off

i'm glad they dialed it down a notch instead of trying to outdo moon, it stands on its own rather than being an attempt to make moon 2

Demon of the Fall
May 14th 2022


35955 Comments

Album Rating: 3.5

Oh yeah I’m grateful they didn’t try and create Moon v2. So many bands fall into that trap.



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