Let’s face it. We all miss Gorguts. While many bands have taken influence from them, like the awesomely brutal Atheretic, very few bands will replace them. Gorguts is arguably one of the greatest death metal acts to ever perform on the face of this earth. Gorguts released two strong death metal albums back during Roadrunner Records’ forgotten good period and then went batshit crazy releasing the now legendary Obscura, a technical death metal album so weird and experimental that all who have heard it swear by it and yet are still confounded by what they heard on the album. While From Wisdom to Hate was an excellent album to end Gorguts‘ legacy with, it was Obscura that defined the pinnacle of Gorguts‘ sound and reputation.

Upon hearing that Luc Lemay and Steeve Hurdle got back together to do more stuff in the vein of Obscura, the heart flutters. Could this new project be more or less a return of the legendary Gorguts? But then apprehension kicks in: look at all those other acts that re-unite classic members in a new band and look how often they suck. Will this Negativa project follow the same fate?

Nope, folks. I have extremely good news for you all. While it may not be called Gorguts, Negativa is everything Gorguts was and then some. And I’m not talking early Gorguts. Oh no, this self-titled EP is straight on Obscura-era shit. You have the patented bizarre riffing, experimental near-noise segments, long doomy and minimalist stretches of mind numbing confusion, and Luc Lemay’s familiar and always refreshing, hallowed-out death metal roar. The music here is the definition of technical death metal, the song writing bizarre but always entertaining, and it delivers every damn enjoyable second that Obscura did.

I’m proud to say that Negativa’s self-titled EP is one of the best releases of 2006, if not the best. Gorguts never really left us because Negativa is sort of a second "Hello" to Lemay and Hurdle. If you even remotely like extreme metal, you are mandated to pick up this release. I’m looking for to Negativa’s first full length.

Written By: Necro-tron