Review: Gorephilia ‘In The Eye Of Nothing’
Oh man! Finland has such a rich history of producing some of the finest death metal that the entire world has to offer. Classic groups like Demilich, Convulse, Demigod, Funebre and Abhorrence, to name just a few, have paved the way for an abundance of new Finnish extreme acts that are pulverizing our ear drums into a mushy putrid paste.
Just this year we’ve had killer releases from Havukruunu, Lantern, Violent Hammer and Sepulchral Curse, which leads me onto today’s review from FinnDeath monsters Gorephilia and their brand new record In The Eye Of Nothing released October 4th via the awesome US Dark Descent Records and UK lovelies Me Saco Un Ojo.It’s the groups third full length record and first since 2017s Severed Monolith which was a really impressive record, so, the question is…can Gorephilia take it to the next level with their latest effort?
What was really cool about In The Eye Of Nothing was how engaging it was with interesting song structures, killer riffs and chunky bass lines. It was a fun listen. The first thing I noticed was the production! death metal that’s clean, it’s thick and it’s massively heavy… yet not sounding like it’s been forced through every single shitty filter on your pirated copy of Pro Tools making it sound sterile and with about as much personality as a Steven Seagal film. Shame on you Steven! With a name that sounds like seagull you wasted so much potential! …So hats off to the good folks at TobaSound and Resonance Sound Studio, you nailed it! And while we’re at it, Raul Gonzalez…this is possibly one of my favourite cover arts from this year. It’s sci-fi… it’s covered in giant floating eye balls…just awesome.
So we’ve got the killer production and the awesome artwork, what we need now is the death metal and boy do we have it! Gorephilia bring the heavy in spades. The music is even more engaging than their previous release, its ultra thick, monumentally heavy and chock full of enough blasts to incinerate every single listener within a three mile radius. From opener Walls Of Weeping Eyes to closer Ark Of The Undecipherable the group storm through the record with only two short reprieves in the form of two instrumental pieces at the halfway point, the unsettling noise monstrosity that is Consensus and right before the closer with symphonic sci-fi piece Death Dream which acts as a perfect opener to the twisting and turning madness that is the closing track. Trust me you’ll need the reprieves with this big old slab of gruesome death metal.
Gorephilia kill it on here. The riffs are tight, devastating, ultra venomous and set at an awesome pace across the whole record…
Gorephilia kill it on here. The riffs are tight, devastating, ultra venomous and set at an awesome pace across the whole record where it’s not really fast, maybe just a step below that which just adds to the level of grotesque heaviness on display. It’s full of groove and is really well balanced giving it immense replay value. The opening to Perpetual Procession has this monstrous riff with the best tone that’s coated in influence from their old school compatriots. It weaves its way throughout the track and is one of my favourite segments from the record. Once again the bass performance is thick in tone, like on their previous record, but this time it’s this driving beast that forces the sound forward crushing all in its way.
After the tragic passing of their vocalist Nemesis in 2018, guitarist Jukka Aho took over and this is their first release with him on vocal duties. He puts in a stellar performance with his bellowing and cavernous growls. The majority of the album utilizes Jukka’s low registered growls, but there are several moments where the pitch changes and this wretched scream pierces through the speakers perfectly, adding some variation to the record’s sound. The finest performance, however, goes to Kauko Kuusisalo on the drum kit, his playing is awesome, full of variety and utterly obliterating, they keep you drawn in the full run length of the record!
So if you haven’t got it already…I loved this record, it’s modern death metal that’s produced well, written well and performed well. It’s got that old school slime smeared all over it but doesn’t define itself by it. Don’t get me wrong, I love the old school revival but it’s nice to have some modern death metal that sounds awesome. So, yeah, do yourself a favour and pick this beast up. You will love it!
Label: Dark Descent Records | Me Saco Un Ojo Records
Band Links: Facebook | Bandcamp | Instagram
Scribed by: Matt Alexander
