When you think “Boston bands”, outfits like Aerosmith, Godsmack (Sorry!), The Cars, and The Mighty Mighty Bosstones usually come to mind. Stellar bands in their own right and should make any Masshole proud of the tunes coming out of the state. Me? I’m proudest when I think of bands like Cave In, Converge, and Isis. And even prouder over the past few years with bands like Motherboar, Summoner, Doomriders, and the focus of this column: Gozu.
Gozu is gonna throw you with “Nature Boy”, which starts off Revival. With its whirlwind shredding and flurry of drum beats, “Nature Boy” is unlike anything this MA quartet has produced so far. But the over-the-top heaviness works so well and sets the tone for a monolithic album that takes the band to new levels of excellence.
“Bubble Time” is fueled by Doug Sherman’s colossal riffs setting a Sabbathian doom vibe which provide a severe dichotomy to Marc Gaffney’s soul baring vocal delivery while “Big Casino” focuses on Mike Hubbard’s drum grooves synching perfectly with Joe Grotto’s low end rumble.
Then there’s “Lorenzo Lamas”. You read that right. Named after the kick ass star of Renegade, “Lorenzo Lamas” is a seven and a half minute sludgefest that lands smack dab in the middle of Revival. That’s right, kiddies! There’s still more album to go. “Oldie” is a rager with an almost hypnotic chugging riff and Hubbard slaying at the drums while Gaffney howls. “By Mennen” is low end fuzzed out bliss with haunting guitar lines by Sherman until “Dee Dee McCall” comes in and offers up some more rollicking riffs and subconscious headbanging.
And fear not if you thought that “Lorenzo Lamas” was the only epic on Revival because “Tin Chicken” has you covered with over eight minutes of Gozu teaching a class entitled: “Musical Superiority in the 21st Century or How Your Band Should Close An Album”.
Honestly, sometimes I hate getting promos from bands I’m already a fan of especially when they keep putting out songs and albums as solid as Revival which is just a beast. Like, can you try to put out a crappy record so I don’t sound like a skipping record? But seriously, all the praise is deserved as fans will soon hear when Revival is unleashed via Ripple Music on June 10th.
You can pre-order yours here and here. And if you’re local, you can get a taste early as Gozu celebrates the release on Friday, June 3rd at Cambridge’s Middle East alongside fellow Boston rockers Wormwood, Worshipper, Magic Circle, and Sylvia. The deets and ticket links are here.