Gospel Of The Future - The Eclipse
Gospel of the Future from the wonderful Czech Republic, yeah well maybe if you live there it might not be that wonderful but the bands that come out of that country certainly are. Just like Finland, its very rare when an heavy band from there doesn't blow you away and the newest band to come by way that has had that effect is Gospel of the Future. They first came to my attention in 2007 when they released their self-titled album which was called a full length but like all their releases its incredibly short. This one titled "The Eclipse" is no different as its under 35 minutes but its shortness guarantees an powerful, straight to the point attack that is impossible to get bored with. My first impressions when first hearing this band in 2007 was they sounded like a black metal version of High On Fire, now with this new album I feel that even more so but they also a more traditional metal sound at times which comes across as a little like Celtic Frost so I guess you could call them "Blackend Sludge".
With the opening track "The Eclipse Pt. I" and the following "Children Of Chaos" you are swamped with many different styles like doom in the opening section of the title track to an almost thrashy kind of groove that occurs at times in both of these tracks. Most of the album is mid-tempo but they also hit the gas sometimes unleashing a chaotic wall of crushing riffing. The vocals are very minimalist and I doubt if lyrics are really something this band cares about at all. Also interesting is the role of the guitar player who takes a back-seat leaving the bass to be up-front and in control most of the time. While the first few tracks are good and very solid, its not until you get to track 4, a song titled "Witchbone Dust Overdose" you are truly blown away. This has a riff heavy enough to move mountains but what is amazing is they don't follow or fit in to any particular genre, its truly an warped mixture of heavy styles but all delivered in a bombastic way.
To add even more fire power to their already loaded cannon comes "The Eclipse Pt. II" the final track on the album which is like a drug-induced psychedelic piece, like I keep on saying - try and pigeon hole this band and you will be confused. They teeter on the edge of doom, thrash, psychedelic, post-rock and trad-metal without ever surrendering to any one genre, the sludge tag is really the only one that comes close to describing Gospel Of The Future. The odd track out is "Geniove" which is a cover version of the Master's Hammer black metal tune but without being too familiar with that band, its hard to compare it with the original but I can say I really dig this track anyway. One of the drawbacks of this album is its short running time, its always seems to finish just as you are really starting to enjoy it. Maybe that was the plan after all, supply a barrage of riffing and sonic devastation and then disappear before you know what hit you. I must also mention the great cover-art by American designer Seldon Hunt and also their label Epidemie Records who may not be the most well known label around but they are incredibly consistent with their high-quality releases, I don't think I have heard a bad album yet from the label. If you like your heavy music to be primal, sludgy and kind of thrashy you must check out Gospel Of The Future and this is the album to start with.
With the opening track "The Eclipse Pt. I" and the following "Children Of Chaos" you are swamped with many different styles like doom in the opening section of the title track to an almost thrashy kind of groove that occurs at times in both of these tracks. Most of the album is mid-tempo but they also hit the gas sometimes unleashing a chaotic wall of crushing riffing. The vocals are very minimalist and I doubt if lyrics are really something this band cares about at all. Also interesting is the role of the guitar player who takes a back-seat leaving the bass to be up-front and in control most of the time. While the first few tracks are good and very solid, its not until you get to track 4, a song titled "Witchbone Dust Overdose" you are truly blown away. This has a riff heavy enough to move mountains but what is amazing is they don't follow or fit in to any particular genre, its truly an warped mixture of heavy styles but all delivered in a bombastic way.
To add even more fire power to their already loaded cannon comes "The Eclipse Pt. II" the final track on the album which is like a drug-induced psychedelic piece, like I keep on saying - try and pigeon hole this band and you will be confused. They teeter on the edge of doom, thrash, psychedelic, post-rock and trad-metal without ever surrendering to any one genre, the sludge tag is really the only one that comes close to describing Gospel Of The Future. The odd track out is "Geniove" which is a cover version of the Master's Hammer black metal tune but without being too familiar with that band, its hard to compare it with the original but I can say I really dig this track anyway. One of the drawbacks of this album is its short running time, its always seems to finish just as you are really starting to enjoy it. Maybe that was the plan after all, supply a barrage of riffing and sonic devastation and then disappear before you know what hit you. I must also mention the great cover-art by American designer Seldon Hunt and also their label Epidemie Records who may not be the most well known label around but they are incredibly consistent with their high-quality releases, I don't think I have heard a bad album yet from the label. If you like your heavy music to be primal, sludgy and kind of thrashy you must check out Gospel Of The Future and this is the album to start with.