Born from a realisation of a shared musical vision between Dave Davidson (Revocation) and Luke Roberts (Ayahuasca), Gargoyl, (not to be confused with the Japanese 80’s Thrash outfit Gargoyle) are a rather significant departure from the more well known musical stylings of Davidson and Roberts, something which isn’t really much of a surprise given how new projects always fall into ‘Similar to what we are doing’ and ‘Let’s try something different eh?’.
Instead of the complex, technical and relentless death metal assault, or the harsh mind bending darkened sludge sounds the two men are known for, Gargoyl instead takes a totally different route: It takes some of the blackened grunge aspects of Ayahuasca and the intricacy and complexity of Revocation and then puts them through their paces, stripping away the more extreme aspects of their musical approaches and letting what remains progress of its own accord. The musical result is something akin to Avant-Garde Grunge meets progressive rock, a combination which sounds as bizarre as imagining Layne Stayley belting his lungs out over a Frank Zappa instrumental which gets some filthy sounds at times. Intrigued? Read on!
Already, things are weird from the start. Acapella introductory track “Truth Of A Tyrant” opens the release and it has a real melancholic air to it, almost as if it were the prelude of a stage performance of sorts. The haunting clean harmonies of the vocals are rather distinct and they do command attention, but whilst this might be impressively performed, it does jar somewhat with the higher vocal tones. Odd intro aside, “Plastic Nothing” kicks off the release for the rest of the band and lets the music flow proper. The track, like the majority of the release, is heavily dominated by the presence of Roberts’ vocals. Haunting, Melancholic and with a clear and penetrative presence, it is clear amidst the turbulent progression of polyrhythmic tides, surges of jazz, flashes of fusion and the clinical precision of the guitars. In places, this works, it provides a great counterpoint to the bedlam beneath it, a solid melodic line which acts as an anchor of sanity in the midst of musical insanity beneath. However, the same can be said of the opposite, the vocals, whilst clear and distinct do grate at times. In some points there is an almost nasal-like tone which will cause a wince or two, and the hyper-focus on the vocals detracts from some of the fantastic bass and drum sections beneath.
A real stand out point on the release is right round the middle section. “Wraith” is a solid track which lives up to its name, lingering like an ominous presence waiting to strike. The clean guitars shift through haunting arpeggios which ring out as they flow gently, creating an uneasy atmosphere when they work in tandem with the lingering vocal line which has a slightly hazy quality to the delivery. “Electrical Sickness” has a very distinct progression which stands out – a simultaneous ascending/descending chromatic run over a shifting drum pattern which is very reminiscent of Frank Zappa and “Ophidian” has some solid basslines and moments where the bass shines through with a strong presence.
Listening through the entire release, you can hear the moments where Davidson and Roberts have been inspired by the likes of Alice in Chains – the darker melodic sound and thick distortion on the chords, the lingering vocals and haunting harmonies, the musical sequences which make you shiver and get goosebumps. It is all present in one form or another, and you can see where the more experimental and progressive vibes come in – “Ashes to Ashes” by Faith No More could have been a blueprint for many of the tracks on the release where the dynamics of the tracks are concerned and you can see that Gargoyl have tried to capture the feel of the alternative and grunge sounds of the late 80’s and early 90’s in places. Whilst they may have succeeded in some places, other places fall short and you often find yourself paying less attention to the release as it progresses. Strong in composition, but rather too ambitious overall, Gargoyl serves well as an outlet for creativity but it is overshadowed by the very styles it is trying to give its own interpretation of.
(6/10 Fraggle)
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