Gaza - He Is Never Coming Back
Rating
RIYL
EngineerPig Destroyer
Neurosis
The_Network
Release Date
11/10/2009
Label
Black Market ActivitiesTracklist
1. How It Is. How It’s Going to Be.2. The Kicking Legs
3. Bishop
4. The Biologist
5. Windowless House
6. He Is Never Coming Back
7. Canine Disposal Unit
8. The Anthropologist
9. The Meat of a Leg Joint
10. The Astronomer
11. Tombless
12. The Historian
13. Carnivore
14. Hidden Track
Users Rating |
Your RatingCreate an account or log in to rate this album |
Recent Ratings |
|
|
|
|
|
Black Market Activities is fast becoming the Deathwish, Inc. of the metal world, consistently releasing excellent, commanding records. Some of their more recent output numbers great albums by bands including Cancer Bats, The_Network, and The Red Chord. We can now comfortably add Gaza’s He Is Never Coming Back to that list. It is the latest stellar record from the Black Market camp, an unholy monstrosity that bristles with a trenchant stance on organized religion. This record is a dark, simmering cauldron of rage that incorporates many different ingredients, ranging from post-metal to grindcore. Gaza have gone out and created a devastating, powerful work that is sure to pop up on more than a few year-end top ten lists.
The album begins with the funeral doom of “How It Is. How It’s Going to Be,” then launches into a huge groove about mid-way through the track before disintegrating into a wall of feedback. The following cut, “The Kicking Legs,” has everything from mathy discordance to grindcore packed into its harrowing three minutes. Elsewhere, “Canine Disposal Unit” aims to beat the listener into a bloody pulp before switching gears completely, as the second half of the song slows to an aching, baleful crawl.
The subdued surf-rock ambience of “The Biologist” allows for a brief respite before the band plow headlong into the mordant “Windowless House.” Another restrained track, “The Anthropologist,” features a beautiful, soothing melody. “The Astronomer” finds Gaza doing post-metal, and “Tombless” is a furious slab of grinding aggression. Despite being labeled as a hidden track, “Hidden Track” is very much a part of the album; rather than being a random song stuck on at the end of the record, it completes the flow and ties He Is Never Coming Back together. It is a slowly unfurling number that revisits the doom metal of the first track, while adding in a bit of the progressive styling of Neurosis. It is a very good album closer, transitioning nicely from the end of “Carnivore.”
He Is Never Coming Back is an outstanding achievement by Gaza. It is a colossal effort and deserves to be lauded. It amply mixes elements of grindcore, post-rock, post-metal, doom metal, mathcore, and sludge together to create a noxious, virulent attack on organized religion. If you’re looking for an uplifting record, look elsewhere. Gaza has come to take no prisoners and bulldoze anything that stands in their way. In so doing, they’ve made one of the best albums of the year. Highly recommended.
--Jake Oliver
Comments
Boston, MA
I can't believe no one said anything about this album. Gaza is def one of the best tech metal bands going right now and this is an excellent record.
Stereo Typing
Tweet at me, bro
Minnesota
Eh, I didn't say anything because I thought the album was just ok. Then again, I've never been a big fan of the band.
Find me EVERYWHERE:
West Haven, CT
I liked their first CD. The direction was good, the sound was just right for the amount. This time around I feel a little....Idknow like Rick said, "it was just ok."
The Cityscape Burns Brighter By The Hour.