There’s nothing like the demise of a band to spark a new found interest for them. Except this time, I have no problem whatsoever. I have always considered Gorguts one of the most underrated bands in all of metal. This may be a bold statement but I think it is well founded. Their ability to adapt and experiment as the years wore on and as the members changed is unparalleled. Considered Dead was a monster release only to be topped by my personal favorite, The Erosion of Sanity. I have noticed that Obscura has found new life and has been realized for its power and experimentalism. As far as I can remember, Obscura was not well received when it was released because of its "wildness" and lacked that controlled aggression that previous albums had. I found it quite interesting and their next release, From Wisdom to Hate, was a combination of the chaos of Obscura and the specificity of The Erosion of Sanity. That being said, this release is for the old fans by far, as it covers almost all of The Erosion of Sanity and two tracks from the first release.

What has been captured here is the raw aggression of a band that silently dominated the beginning years of death metal, an era I like to say ended when Roadrunner decided to cut most of their label in favor for a "more palatable" sound. I first got this disc on the way out of my house and immediately threw it into the car’s CD player. At first, I was stunned by the fact that some of the songs were initially unrecognizable even though I knew The Erosion of Sanity quite well. When I finally got to examine the liner notes, I realized that Stephane Provencer (drums) and Sylvain Marcoux (lead guitar) left the band one week before the tour on which this was to be recorded. I would have been pretty pissed but apparently it was no big deal. "Big Steeve" joined the band on guitars (from Obscura and From Wisdom To Hate) and another drummer who left because (a direct quote) of "a lack of confidence"!?!?!?!??!?! Anyway, Luc toyed with the idea of getting Lee Harrison from Monstrosity to play drums but Steve MacDonald soon filled the spot. The liner says this is this is when the Obscura line-up was born but I noticed that MacDonald did not play on Obscura but rather on From Wisdom to Hate. It sounds like some cheese-bag death metal version of "General Hospital" but I figured it was worth mentioning. It adds to the mystery and gives validity to the sound.

As I mentioned before, the recording is pretty terrible. The recording is dominated by the drums and Luc Lemay’s growls. The guitars are quite tinny and the bass is muted. The reason I mentioned all of the drama of the band is because I was quick to state that Gorguts was a studio band after an initial listen. But, considering the circumstances, the new additions did a nice job at filling the roles. They only had 10 days to practice the entire set. Some of the solos are missing, including a tremendous droning one over the melodic part in the song The Erosion of Sanity. The drummer is not as innovative as the original but hits that snare like it stole his lunch money, with an obvious focus on power rather than skill. However, it is a nice fit and the double bass patterns are pretty damn quick for a live performance.

This is a disc for the old-time fans of the band who appreciated their earlier works. The skill isn’t there but the power and violence is. You have to appreciate this like you would an Autopsy live recording; you aren’t looking for sound quality, rather a glimpse into the set of a powerhouse you never got to see live.

Written By: Double Ds