Gory Blister

Earth-Sick

Written by: MST on 14/11/2012 22:53:05

Italy's Gory Blister are no newcomers to the world of technical death metal. Formed in 1991, they released three albums from 1999 to 2009 before returning in 2012 with their fourth opus, "Earth-Sick". Gory Blister have never had the same vocalist appear on two albums, and once again long time members Raff (guitars) and Joe La Viola (drums) have found new blood in the new bassist Christian and Paolo "John St. John" who now fills the role as vocalist for the band.

Stylistically, Gory Blister play death metal with constant tempo changes and technical riffs, with an added element of energetic thrash metal. Consider newer Decrepit Birth adding the thrashy elements of Death, and you've got a good idea about the general sound. On top of that, John St. John's mid-range growls and death metal screams add to the catchy riffs and thrashy drum patterns, especially because the vocals are pronounced in a way that makes them audible. So, what we have here is not hyper-technical death metal like Spawn Of Possession, it's not ridiculously fast like Origin, and it doesn't add much of the progressive touch the Obscura are renowned for, although comparisons to that band in terms of instrumentation isn't too far off. What this is, is interesting death metal done just right. The technical elements require your attention and keep you listening, while the general catchyness of the overall sound keeps your head bobbing back and forth.

After a short intro containing some nice solo work, "Earth-Sick" opens the album with all of those qualities listed above. Song after song follows that only changes just enough to keep one wanting more, from the excellently energetic "Decanted Embryos" with its screamed chorus that sticks to your head, to the darker "H.I.V.", for which the band have created a video. All is good so far. Enter the last two proper tracks (before the outro), "Soul-Bourne Maladies" and "Serpent Verse": John St. John is gone, and instead we're treated to one Karl Sanders from Nile. Now, I think we can all agree that Sanders isn't exactly the most interesting vocalist in Nile, and his monotonous and indecipherable growled vocals, complete with a nice lisp, don't really do anything for me on this album. On top of that, the two tracks are also the least interesting in terms of the compositions. Also: two whole tracks? Really?

Closing with the excellent, if somewhat unusual and suprising for an album such as this, "Voices From The Sea", an ethereal instrumental track built around a great guitar solo, "Earth-Sick" turned out to be a very good technical death metal album, despite my dislike for the last two songs. It's catchy, it's great metal to headbang to, but above all it's just great music with lasting replay value. The tracks on this album are more than just collections of great riffs and growled vocals - they show that Gory Blister really know how to write great songs, and in today's world with so many average bands plaguing seemingly every subgenre, that is a commendable ability.

8

Download: Earth-Sick, Plague and Pray, Decanted Embryos, Voices From The Sea
For The Fans Of: Decrepit Birth, Nile, Obscura, Death
Listen: Facebook

Release date: 16.04.2012
Bakerteam Records

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