Sometimes, we just think it won’t work. We come across an album and think, “nope, not my cup of tea”. When discovering Gurt and their latest record “Satan, etc.” in the release list this June, I was about to pass. Yet, a tiny bit of morbid curiosity pushed me to give it a try, thinking I would at the very least be able to make fun of the record with my most dishonest opinion. Little did I know that this record would become one of my highlights of the year.
Why was I so sure it wasn’t meant for me? Well, picture a band that describes their sound as “party doom”, with a fractal devil’s horns symbol on their candy pink artwork and song titles as sophisticated as “Exit As You Enter” or “The Most Dying Way To Die”. Now take a 35 y/o bearded guy, not quite into parody when it comes to extreme and dark genres and you can see why the band and I seemed irreconcilable (on paper).
BUT. We must agree that this funky packaging is refreshing in a scene (myself included) that takes itself way too seriously. So I gave it a try and… this is just incredibly catchy. Riffs hit hard by sitting in speed doom territory tinged with punk hardcore, stoner, sludge and even noise rock. Vocals are shouted, harsh and rip off my face without me quite understanding what happens. Gurt’s music is always so catchy with this high-voltage and federating aspect, it really makes the “party doom” labeling all the more relevant.
With lyrics full of auto-derision and mockery, the party side is pretty obvious. But what about doom? That’s where the battle of the purists might start. With Gurt, the doom element comes from the chord progressions, the way they build the riffs. See it as “frantic doom punk”. And while the delivery is not hymn to the Birmingham greats, the doom filiation is far from far-fetched.
So what sticks with this album ultimately? “Knife Fever” is a hardcore crossover track on which only singalong parts from fully tattooed dudes would be missing to claim it as an NYHC anthem. The same goes for the excellent “In For A Penny, In For A Pounding”. “Appetite for Construction” has more of a death & roll feel à la Entombed (“Wolverine Blues” era) with a bridge to cry for, simply stunning!
“Ennui Go” is the mid-tempo of the record and it definitely benefits from slowing down the pace for a minute — by far the closest to classic doom the band ventured into. Even the reverb-laden vocals sound more haunting than ever. The few accelerations (at times a bit preposterous) add a pinch of madness to the song. “Exit As You Enter” is the noise rock exploration we needed with its dissonances, syncopated riffs and overall unpredictable parts. “Electric Brown” fully encapsulates everything we’ve heard on the record so far, in a particularly well-crafted way. And what with the fuzzy surf rock escapade in the bridge? Love it!
Imagine if Kvelertak embraced the somewhat of a joke show they became (yet still a damn good one) or if my beloved Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs were not from Newcastle, and you get an idea of what works so well about Gurt. It’s powerful, feisty, well-written and because they never take themselves seriously, it allows everyone to chill a little — something we all need in a scene that forgot how much it somewhat owes to Red Fang’s silly videos from 15 years ago.
Last modified: 19 August 2024
