ITP REVIEW: GOROD: PROCESS OF A NEW DECLINE

BAND: GOROD (FRANCE) GENRE-TECHNICAL DEATH/GRIND METAL RECORD LABEL-WILLOWTIP (North America) LISTENABLE RECORDS (Europe) RELEASE DATE: 6/1/09 LISTENABLE RECORDS-(EUROPE) 7/24/09 (NORTH AMERICA-WILLOWTIP)

PREVIOUS RELEASES (CATALOG): LEADING VISION (2006-WILLOWTIP/LISTENABLE), NEUROTRIPSICS(2005-WILLOWTIP/EARACHE),(AS GORGASM)-NEUROTRIPSICS (2004-DEADSUN RECORDS)
BEST RELEASE: NEUROTRIPSICS
GOROD: "PROCESS OF A NEW DECLINE"
TRACKLISTING:

1. Disavow Your God
2. Programmers Of Decline
3. Diverted Logic
4. Rebirth Of Senses
5. The Path
6. Splinters Of Life
7. Guilty Of Dispersal
8. Gilded Cage
9. A Common Hope
10. Watershed
11. Almighty's Murderer


ITP RATING: ***
PRODUCTION: ***
SONGWRITING: **1/2
PERFORMANCE: *** 1/2

Gorod are a French technical death/grind band of the highest order. Combing brutal, death/grind with carpal tunnel inducing shred, and I mean SHRED, these guys play some technical riffage that put most musicians to shame. However, GOROD are brutal enough to get any pit moving, as GOROD appeal to the thinking mans death/ grind fans, as do CEPHALIC CARNAGE.
The French death and black metal scene is famous for it's new century wave of creative black and death metal bands as GOROD showed mucho potential on their 2005 debut NEUROTRIPSICS.
With most technical death metal bands, it's often a struggle to combine technical riffing with good songwriting, and brutality, the balance of the three is key.
Here we have "PROCESS OF A NEW DECLINE", the third release from France's GOROD on the awesome WILLOWTIP RECORDS here in the North America.
On GORODS latest release "PROCESS OF A NEW DECLINE", the band try a little too hard to integrate too much into one release: Generic post grind core with experimentation, sometimes jazzy breakdowns, post hardcore..At least GOROD have the talent to try to experiment with all these ideas, although at times they might sound pretentious.
"PROCESS OF A NEW DECLINE" opens with "DISAVOW YOUR GOD" as the track is an awesome lesson in jazzy, brutal, technical death metal. "Disavow Your God", is almost Cynic like in it's execution. GORODS "Disavow Your God" is technical, brutal, with wild time changes, excellent solos and a jazzy/solo break down at 2:57.. Wow, there's so much going on in "Disavow Your God", I'm impressed. :Raises Eyebrows:
GOROD bring the technical grind/core on the second track "PROGRAMMERS OF DECLINE" with sweeps, arpeggios galore, a few blastbeats and brutal death/grind vocals. Some good solos, and staccato thrash riffs on "Programmers of Decline" round out the song for a good brutal tech tune.
"DIVERTED LOGIC" continues GOROD's brutal tech death with break neck riffing, and technical prowess, perfect for driving a pit into a mosh frenzy. Some of the solos early in "DIVERTED LOGIC" are somewhat buried in the mix, 'tis a shame, because these dudes can play.
It is notable that GOROD have new drummer "SAM", as the GOROD's female drummer (SANDRINE) has left the band, and the band sound tighter, and more confident on most of "PROCESS OF A NEW DECLINE".
"Rebirth of Senses" and "The Path" slow down "PROCESS OF A NEW DECLINE's" pace a bit. "Rebirth of Senses" invoke an almost Salsa flavor, but brutal with Guillaume's brutal death barks and growls.
"The Path" with it's dramatic production segues slowly into a progressive grind core track, as I hear some clean (?) hummed, melodic vocals in this track.
"Splinters Of Life" has it's moments of doomy, technical death grind with some decent solos, tightly played and perhaps an underrated track.
"Guilty of Dispersal" ups the ante of tight, raw, post, technical death grind brutality. The technical solos on "Guilty of Disperal" are damn good, with an almost jazzy/progressive death breakdown thrown in there. I think I have arthritis listening to this tune.
"Gilded Cage" is mid paced shred, brutal, with a weird Messhuggah like thrash riff at 1:45, quality solos on this tune, the double bass drumming synced and played tightly with the brutal thrash/grind riffing make this tune one for the pit. "A Common Hope" invokes a post grind/core feel. While "ACH" is played tightly, with quality solos, it just lags, and kinda feels, well, like post hardcore.
During the first few seconds of "Watershed" (A common song or CD title, OPETH, KD LANG), GOROD vocalist Guillaume tries a new almost black metal, whispered, vocal approach. However, most of "Watershed" is an instrumental excursion into post death/progressive grind hell with minimal vocals, lots of good solos, as the pace pics up around 2:35, and the song fades into ambient, instrumental balladry.
PROCESS OF A NEW DECLINE closes with "Almighty's Murder", but after the first three tracks of almighty shredding awesomeness, the pace, shred, and overall cohesiveness dropped a few notches on this release. I'm thinking, ok, enough with this incohesive wankery, gimme something, I know these guys are talented.
Perhaps GOROD sacrificed technical death grind brutality for experimentation on "PROCESS OF A NEW DECLINE". Overall, GORODS PROCESS OF A NEW DECLINE doesn't have enough shred or variety as the bands songwriting lacks cohesiveness, the riffs are repetitive and kinda boring, as most songs on "PROCESS OF A NEW DECLINE" take an experimental approach.
Yes, GOROD shred all sorts of circles around most bands, and have enough talent to induce carpel tunnel arthritis in most. Perhaps if GOROD employed some blast beats, and tightened up the rhythm section, and just wrote a good song with these shredding riffs, I would like "PROCESS OF A NEW DECLINE" more.
I liked GOROD's NEUROTRIPSICS for it's cheeky shred, the songs were better...However, the production on GORODS "LEADING VISION" and "PROCESS OF A NEW DECLINE" has improved for a more in your face brutal feel. However, better production does not replace good songwriting and brutal riffs, and of course the shred GOROD are well known for. "PROCESS OF A NEW DECLINE", lacks cohesive songwriting and after three tracks, (tracks 1, 2 and 3 are the superior tracks on PROCESS OF A NEW DECLINE) I'm bored silly with GORODS attempts at incohesive experimentation. Just bring the brutal shred and I'm happy.
Otherwise, we see great potential for GOROD.
*BEST SONGS ON "PROCESS OF A NEW DECLINE": 1."Disavow Your God" 2."Programmers of Decline" 3."Diverted Logic" 

ITP RATING: ***
PRODUCTION: ***
SONGWRITING: **1/2
PERFORMANCE: ****

 
ITP V.017 RE-RATE:  
 Catchy as FVCK, good songwriting and groove, tech and shred tastic, the bands best release to date.
ITP RATING: ****
PRODUCTION: ****
SONGWRITING:****
PERFORMANCE: ****

Thanks-Stay Metal, Stay Brutal-\m/ -l-