Review: Gargoyl – Gargoyl

Style: Grunge/Avant-garde (clean vocals)
Review by: Callum
Country: United States (Boston, MA)
Release date: October 9, 2020

Classifying Gargoyl’s self-titled debut as ‘grunge’ is reductive, but agonizing over boxing it into any genre would be wasting time that could be spent letting your mind be slowly unravelled by the record itself. Gargoyl is like the Megazord Voivod, Opeth, Mr Bungle, and Alice in Chains would form if they were Power Rangers. It’s a bizarro mix of all kinds of influences not often heard together but one that works satisfyingly well in concert. It’s also masterminded by David Davidson and Luke Roberts, guitarists for progressive death metal bands Revocation and Ayahuasca, respectively. This project is an unexpected departure for these musicians where they have melded Layne Staley-style vocals and unearthly dissonance into some dystopian nightmare and it’s fantastic.

Comparisons to Staley and Cantrell of Alice in Chains are inevitable right off the bat as Gargoyl opens with the entirely acapella track, “Truth of a Tyrant”. The stripped back quartet of vocals are droning and ominous, laying a foundation for the dark, macabre spirit of the rest of the album. “Plastic Nothing” jumps in with a jarring guitar riff constantly creeping up the fretboard, dissonant chords, and phrasing that’s all over the place. It is immediately apparent that each band member excels in their field, and there’s an abundance of complex music theory put into practice. It doesn’t feel like they are flaunting this talent, however, as each tempo change, timing change, or shift in scale feels organic and well placed.

More dissonance from augmented scales and jazz drumming feature heavily in “Electrical Sickness”. The vocal harmonies are effective and the contrast between their melody, the dizzying guitars, and bass rhythm that never sits still creates unsettling textures in the best possible way. “Wraith” and the final track “Asphyxia” wouldn’t feel out of place next to Opeth’s Damnation in how dark and haunting they sound while being more subdued. “Nightmare Conspiracy” is a comprehensive representation of everything this band has to offer and features one of the few guitar solos on the album. Davidson’s chops are indisputable from his technical death metal wizardry in Revocation but this solo is tastefully restrained to suit the mood. The aptly titled “Waltz Dystopia” truly feels like it could be played at some hideous masquerade ball while the world outside falls apart. Mr Bungle/Mike Patton and Virus influences are very noticeable here. I could really go into each of the tracks on the album as each has its own character and standout qualities.

The piece of this cacophonous puzzle I would love to see put in place for any further gothic adventures would be more catharsis. The record forces a perpetual tension upon the listener and there isn’t a lot of release aside from the final track and a couple of guitar solos. Otherwise, Gargoyl, especially for a debut, is a fully realized concept and has made its mark on me. Although they draw from influential artists from a variety of only tangentially related genres, Gargoyl are a beast of their own and don’t pretend to copy or out-do any of them.

Recommended tracks: Nightmare Conspiracy, Electrical Sickness, Waltz Dystopian
Recommended for fans of: Voivod, Opeth, Alice in Chains
Final verdict: 9/10

Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter

Label: Season of Mist – Bandcamp | Website | Facebook

Gargoyl is:
– Luke Roberts – Guitar/ Vocals
– David Davidson – Guitar
– Brett Leier – Bass
– James Knoerl – Drums