Gore

Starting in the late ’80s, Holland’s Gore were an instrumental trio that filtered Bartók and Shostakovich through Bad Brains and Swans. Touring and sharing a live split with Rollins Band in 1987, Gore would later introduce their sound engineer, Theo van Eenbergen, to Rollins, who dubbed him Theo van Rock and hired him for several albums/tours. Southern Lord has remastered 1986’s Hart Gore and 1987’s Mean Man’s Dream, including a trove of rare tracks and a full colour booklet of rare photos and liner notes by bassist Rob Frey. Firmly rooted in a down tuned, slo-mo Metallica/Black Flag aesthetic, with a liberal dose of Godflesh atmosphere, it’s a wonder that the primitive Hart Gore wasn’t snatched up by Earache Records at the time. Repetitive riffing and drum beats in "Extirpation,” "Out for Blood” and the fearsome "USA Is Calling” predate the math rock of Don Caballero, Melvins and Helmet by several albums. In contrast, Mean Man’s Dream throbs with a smoother Zeni Geva-like vibe while retaining the simplicity of this seminal three-piece. "Love” and "Last Steps” introduce a steelier mix, and the raw bonus tracks prove their worth in live settings all across Europe. The fact that Frey now plays in a Dutch folk pop group gives even more credence to Gore as a mammoth footnote in instrumental metal.