Home : Neoclassical
Definitions

A B C D
E F G H
I J K L
M NOP
Q RST
U VWX
Y Z#  

Gorefest - Mindloss

Gorefest - Mindloss
Copyright © 1991 Foundation 2000

1. Intro 01:02
2. Mental Misery 05:05
3. Putrid Stench of Human Remains 04:18
4. Foetal Carnage 05:02
5. Tangled In Gore 04:34
6. Confessions of A Serial Killer 05:33
7. Horrors In A Retarded Mind 04:00
8. Loss of Flesh 03:46
9. Decomposed 05:51
10. Gorefest 04:00

In the late '80s and early '90s, much of the death metal coming out of Europe differentiated itself from the primitive rhythmic material that was common at the time by crafting music that was simple rhythmically but featured a melodicism inspired by bands such as Iron Maiden and Judas Priest, but with a touch of dissonance and more speed injected in order to kill some of the syrup, as opposed the chromatic hardcore inspired riffs popular among Amerikan bands. One under-appreciated album in that style, Gorefest's Mindloss combines death metal violence with the better influences of classic heavy metal.

During their faster sections, guitars craft riffs that hammer out a stream of chords and conclude with conclude with some flourish or percussive punctuation, or else pound out high-energy three-note melodies with Iron Maiden-esque hooks. The slower sections are much the same, with sagging yet groove-filled rhythms reminiscent of Autopsy or even Black Sabbath. Drums tend to follow the groove established by the guitar, and simply blast ahead when little groove exists. Guitar solos are either heavy metal styled show off, or Slayer inspired noise, and are used mainly for variation in structure, rather than for the sake of the figures that they cut. Vocals are bassy growls that can be identified as human, but are basically impossible to make out.

Structurally, this stuff is fairly predictable, creating a few closely related ideas that define a song, and cycling through them, breaking out of those and into a greater madness at their climax, and resolving back into them for a brief conclusion. This simplicity, combined with the heavy metal nature of the rest of this album, will likely put many Hessians off from it, which is most certainly their loss. Much like Mötorhead, Black Sabbath, or Judas Priest, this music is able to rise above clichés to create music that is both energetic due to its groove and hook, and morbid, from its battery, and inspired, slightly dissonant melodies. Like a cat toying with a wounded mouse, it’s both vicious and playful, and strikes a balance between humor and morbidity that is both enjoyable and points to a darker reality that most "normals" prefer to ignore.

Copyright © 1988-2008 mock Him productions