While Gomorrah might not be the most original name for a death metal band (in fact, it's been used by several metal bands to date), the title of their second album, The Haruspex has some depth to it and serves as an impeccable analogical representation of the record. (Definition of Haruspex: A roman religious official who interpreted omens by inspecting the entrails of sacrificial animals).
The first two tracks feature five minutes of your typical generic death metal, accompanied by frenetic riffs clearly demonstrating a technical virtuoso, but as the band proceed further, deeper into the guts of the album, subtle nuances begin to appear that separate and elevate the band from many of their peers in the Canadian death metal underground. Their dabbling with numerous guitar effects to create haunting soundscapes, like the ones found on "Sitra Achra" and "Venom and Rapture," demonstrate a keenness for experimenting with various tones, keeping the listener engaged by allowing a brief reprieve from the audio assault, all the while maintaining the dreadful atmosphere of it all. Even the vocals, though they are purely guttural (it is death metal, after all), present stunning range, lyrical structure and a surprising amount of pronunciation.
The Haruspex demonstrates a considerable amount of growth since their first release, Perception; it's abundantly clear that Gomorrah has improved the quality of their sound, from writing to mixing and mastering.
(Test Your Metal)The first two tracks feature five minutes of your typical generic death metal, accompanied by frenetic riffs clearly demonstrating a technical virtuoso, but as the band proceed further, deeper into the guts of the album, subtle nuances begin to appear that separate and elevate the band from many of their peers in the Canadian death metal underground. Their dabbling with numerous guitar effects to create haunting soundscapes, like the ones found on "Sitra Achra" and "Venom and Rapture," demonstrate a keenness for experimenting with various tones, keeping the listener engaged by allowing a brief reprieve from the audio assault, all the while maintaining the dreadful atmosphere of it all. Even the vocals, though they are purely guttural (it is death metal, after all), present stunning range, lyrical structure and a surprising amount of pronunciation.
The Haruspex demonstrates a considerable amount of growth since their first release, Perception; it's abundantly clear that Gomorrah has improved the quality of their sound, from writing to mixing and mastering.
