We think we finally figured it out. GOZU fits in with what we like to think of as “Celebratory Metal”. Sure, GOZU’s got the Sludge, Doom, Desert and Fuzz Rawk and way more in them that everyone always mentions when the Boston outfit comes up in conversation but, at least for us and similar to Torche, GOZU creates the kinds of melodies in their riffage and vocal harmonies that just instantly bring a smile to our face. And we were definitely smiling ear to ear following our first listen through of latest record, the aptly titled GOZU VI. Same for the second go round. And the third. Also, the fourth. Do you see the pattern here???
It’s not even like we didn’t expect the newest record from GOZU to be good. The expectations, per usual, following a run such as the Boston badasses has had with each release is always exceptionally high yet GOZU VI still managed to surpass all of that once again. And it’s not just one thing that makes GOZU great either. It’s the sum of all their parts. It’s Lead Guitarist Doug Sherman. It’s Vocalist/Guitarist Marc Gaffney. It’s Drummer Seth Botos. It’s Bassist Joseph Grotto. It’s the songwriting, the riffs, the breakdowns, the interludes, the melodies… just everything. And on GOZU VI, that collective magic is on point once again.
“Corinthian Leatherface” easily brings up our “Celebratory Metal” phrasing with Sherman and Gaffney’s righteous riffs heralding another great era of new GOZU music as Grotto and Botos roll out a robust rhythm section onslaught before scaling it all back for the Sludge-filled dirge of “Midnight Express” that’s just a Behemoth of an aural undertaking with hypnotic harmonies and Gaffney’s broad vocal lines bringing life and levity over the Doom-filled noise that’s a little like when Type O Negative covered “Black Sabbath”. “Killer Khan” is vibrant in comparison as lush riffage from Gaffney and Sherman and a barrage of instrumental heaviness is offset by glowing vocals and heavenly harmonies followed by “Corner Lariot” which might be the closest GOZU has come to really penning a ballad as a soft, somber and smooth vibe fills the air and miraculously stays that way throughout its’ almost 7-minute runtime.
“Banacek” is just a relentless river of riffage with no less than two breakdowns, the first of which features Sherman getting his Eddie Van Halen on with a fiery solo as Botos proficiently pummels in a way that’d make Brann Dailor jealous while the other is all Gargantuan GOZU Grooves. And if you haven’t already, be sure to check out the killer video accompaniment directed by Jim Foster/Red 13 Studios here. And another thing! If you’re local (Or in town looking for somewhere special to go), head to Sherman’s place The Hollows in Somerville where the musical mayhem was filmed to soak in the ambiance and consume some tasty eats! Malicious costumed chicken sightings not guaranteed.
“They Did Know Karate” is a big, beefy one to enter the chat next and is an almost eight minute mountain of monolithic music as only GOZU could pull off while “Gimme The Lute” is a swirly, shreddy menace. Until it’s not, devolving into a Groovy/Bluesy jam with Gaffney, Sherman, Botos and Grotto summoning some sweet sounds in perfect sync. Closing out the new record, GOZU go Old School and hearken back to the band’s early daze on “Corvette Summer” led by a sonic gallop akin to “Immigrant Song” and boasting some of the most beautiful bombast the band has recorded to date.
GOZU VI arrives through Blacklight Media/Metal Blade Records on May 15th and you can find your copy in a version that pleases you by heading here, here or to the stream below. GOZU recently announced a pretty hefty run of dates co-headlining with Restless Spirit (Whose self-titled newest is a BANGER that we’ll be reviewing closer to the MA show) that culminates at home on June 27th with a show at Middle East Upstairs and also features Worshipper and Earthlore (Get advance tix for that one right here). To find out the rest of the shows on that run and other GOZU happenings, follow the socials across the interwebs when you click here or here.