Released by: Season of Mist

Release Date: May 13th, 2016

Genre: Extreme Metal

Line-up

Luc Lemay – Guitars / Vocals
Kevin Hufnagel – Guitars
Colin Marston – Bass
Patrice Hamelin – Drums

Tracklist:

1. Pleiades’ Dust

The band Gorguts is fairly new to me despite having been around since 1989. A buddy of mine suggested them to me a couple years ago as I was starting to really dig deep into the lesser known bands of death metal in particular. I was really taken by the level of skill of their musicianship as well as the aggression of the songs. I found myself listening to them quite a bit for a period of time after my discovery. When I saw they had some new material coming out I was eager about it, but when I saw it was one song I took it for granted that it was just a single, and I tend to avoid writing about a single track. Imagine my surprise when I finally broke down and gave it a spin when I realized not only was it just one song, but likely the longest death metal song ever.

Pleiades’ Dust is a one song EP that takes the contraints of technical death metal deep into the realm of progressive music. Bands like Dream Theater, Yes, and King Crimson are noted for sprawling epics, not bands that share similarities to Death, Cannibal Corpse, and the like. Clocking in at a whopping 33 minutes, “Pleiades’ Dust” demonstrates everything that makes Gorguts one of the most amazing bands of this genre. Ironically enough, my only complaint is that the song is so long that there are moments that plod on a bit, however beyond those few moments is some of the most intense death metal around, with bone crunching riffs, blistering solo’s, and even moments of shocking quiet that create this tension. The aforementioned King Crimson were pretty on point utilizing quiet moments during many of their songs to create stark dynamics, and a building crescendo that often led into a very chaotic rush of notes.

The sheer audacity taken by Gorguts with Pleiades’ Dust is something not many bands would endeavor to take on. Then again, they aren’t a band that is typical in the type of music they create, often attempting new things with each release. This will either be one of those rare moments in metal where a band dares to try something unique, opening doors for others to attempt, or be a one off attempt at ultimate creativity. Only the future knows if this groundbreaking EP will start something or stand alone. I look forward to seeing the end result.

Written by: Chris Martin