Bryan reacts to and talks about his thoughts on Gorguts - Obscura ORIGINAL VIDEO: • Obscura Patreon: www.patreon.com/criticalreactions Twitter: critreactions
Neither of them are that technical. They are both great from an innovation perspective but it is definitely not crazy technically (comparing to Focus or Unquestionable Presence for example). That being said they are groundbreaking masterpieces for sure.
also, Gorguts has a 33 minute song called Pleiades Dust that I think you’d appreciate a lot. Their album Colored Sands is also much more digestable, but still very complex
One of my favorite memories is being in the back seat of a packed, noisy rental car, driving down a bumpy road on the side of a semi-renovated Hawaiian volcano with my eyes closed, headphones on, listening to this album. Every time we drive go over a pothole, I would jerk back to conciousness and sort of realize the absurdity of the situation I was in. Good times.
I immediately loved this album as a death metal fan in the '90s, still one of my favorite songs/albums. The staccato riff with slides is done by tapping with a pick, sliding down with the pick so it sounds smooth.
"That's a track... That's a song." - This brought me much joy. It took me 40+ listens to be able to comprehend the structure and time signatures. I appreciate you taking the time to suffer through it.
The whole 'Obscura' album is the ultimative mindf*ck! No one, neither before nor since (not even Gorguts themselves), have sounded quite like 'Obscura'; an album far, far, FAR ahead of it's time.. in fact, the rest of the extreme tech metal world still hasn't quite caught up... 🤗
In my humble opinion, Obscura is a 10/10, one of if not the best dissonant death metal album I've ever heard. And the reason mostly is the chaotic and very all over the place nature of this album, and well, this mixed with the much avant garde elements on it not just makes an unique and weirdly charming sound but also makes it also in one of the most complex albums in the death metal community.
"this is the primus of death metal" Okay but the first death metal album of all time has Larry from Primus on guitar, wouldn't that be the primus of death metal? JK jk i know what you mean lololol
This reply is a bit late, but Luc Lemay did say in an interview that Possessed - Seven Churches along with Death - Scream Bloody Gore got him into death metal. Funny that Larry LaLonde influenced Luc Lemay lol. Whodathought?
Definitely a classic Gorguts, but you really should've check out some newer stuff, like "Forgotten Arrows" or "Le Toit Du Monde". New Gorguts, as technical as it still is, is much more "easier" to approach and they've evolved quite a lot during the years
Gorguts - Obscura is my favorite album released by any band/artist of any genre, ever. I grew up with rock, to metal, to thrash, then in 7th grade (1992) I was turned onto Deathmetal and Grindcore. A few years later I really got into classical and jazz. A few years later I got into Blackmetal and Fusion jazz. At this point Gorguts is still my favorite band. I love Emperor, Artificial Brain, Aosoth, Deathspell Omega, Pig Destroyer, as well as The Dillinger Escape Plan and Converge. I also love artists like Mahavishnu Orchestra, AL Dimeola, Miles Davis, Dave Brubek, all the way to Cheap Trick, Blondie, The Steve Miller Band, Journey, to the Cars, Ah-Ha and Depeche Mode, INXS and George Michael. I dig on Guns N' Roses, Faith No More, Motley Crue and onto Minor Threat, Infest and Black Flag. Man, I love Bob Marley, Inner Circle to Outkast, Prof and Chris Webber. I started playing guitar in 92', bass in 93' and drums in 95'. I am NOT self taught. I've played hundreds of shows, recorded drums on 2 wide released albums and 2 more for labels. I've done session drum and guitar work and was a private guitar teacher for years. I bring all this up to make the point that dinnertime as diverse and musically educated as I am thinks Gorguts is the greatest!
Great breakdown! Like others have mentioned, it would be awesome to hear your take on some of their newer stuff, such as Colored Sands. I think that would gel a lot better for you being a much more accessible sound while still being a lot to wrap your head around musically. Super talented guys who absolutely nail it live
Keep in mind that these 4 minutes are just part of a 1h musical experience. Also, the more you listen to these songs the more overwhelmingly intense they become. In a way, repetitive musical bits become something you can at least hold on to. This much can't be said about for example the vocals (coming from 2 vocalists) which are very intimidating.
Just wanted to say thanks for the community! I’ve heard many new bands and asked for recommendations. Pretty much every time, I get a response! Really like that and am grateful! Peace
That record & band changed my life and made me a way better musician. The open is the chorus riff, then the verse, then chorus, then interlude, then verse, chorus, Bridge...which has like 4 parts. Off the top of my head there are at least 6 riifs. I could tell you weren't connecting and therefore you most likely can't listen proper. I never heard anything like it the first time I heard it, and I was instantly in love. You should listen again but listen into the second track. There is this really cool fiddle break for no reason... I love it. Clouded is a repetitive song if you'd like a point of reference. I have no problem learning their tunes... but I love their tunes.
Yeah that’s most people’s reaction the first time hearing this song. It took me repeated listens to appreciate this track for the uncomfortable, tense feeling it gives me. There’s nothing else like it. This album was ahead of its time and remains a dense, chaotic piece of musical art that cause visceral reactions in the listener. I listened to it on repeat 4 times before finding this video, and I’m going back for a 5th listen before going to bed.
Hey, thank you for this! The outro indeed leads to another song, and the left guitar technique here is a mix of tapping and sliding, so the guitarist taps a note with his right hand and then either pull it off or slide it, also with his right hand. To continue on the path of chaos, we can go visit Ulcerate, Portal, or Demilich as some people already suggested. There's also Imperial Triumphant which I find especially interesting, and a lot of other bands which made writing with dissonant riffs and convoluted ideas their trademark.
When I first heard the song in 2000 I had been listening to metal for like 4-5 years. I was not ready. I dismissed it as utter noise. 15 years later I thought I'd give it another try and it absolutely blew my mind because my taste had expanded so much. I showed it to a friend, also a metal fan, and he was like "it's my assessment that it would be an advantage if they knew they were playing in the same band" lol.
I'm definitely a fan of Gorguts, I think I do indeed find myself getting into that flow state with their songs. Especially listening to the entirety of an album at once, not just a song, it can be fascinating. But it's abrasive and off-putting even by the standards of death metal, so. There you go.
@@ckokomo808 Their album Obscura is widely considered a masterpiece of death metal, but it's also their least accessible and can sound like chaotic noise on a first listen. Their prior albums (Considered Dead and The Erosion Of Sanity) are more traditional (but excellent) death metal. The album after (From Wisdom To Hate) is more a mix of Obscura's esoteric weirdness and more traditional death metal. Their latest albums (Colored Sands and Pleiades' Dust) are more prog death, but also still excellent. Really hard to go wrong with them. Start with where you feel most comfortable.
Jonathan Henderson awesome. Thanks! I don’t mind obscure, just might have to give it a few listens! I’ll definitely be checking out their stuff this week.
Hey dude, I've got some tracks for you to listen and react to if you get a chance; "Songs For No One" by Caligula's Horse "Illumination Theory" by Dream Theater "The Call" by The Neal Morse Band "Reverie/Harlequin Forest" or "Ghost Of Perdition" by Opeth "The Architect" by Haken "Memory Palace" by Between The Buried And Me "The Sound Of Muzak" by Porcupine Tree "Flying Whales" by Gojira "Genesis" by Devin Townsend (WATCH THE OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO FOR FULL EXPERIENCE) Your reviews are top notch. Keep it up, mate.
I would recommend checking out a song from Gorguts' next album, From Wisdom To Hate, which I think is more accessible and tidier generally. Would recommend Das Martyrium Des especially.
I would love to see your reaction to anything from Colored Sands. They really got the best elements together on that album! So much more fluent and cohesive. But this is a great place to start. "Just throw everything out the door" ^-^ (Edit: Forgotten Arrows, saw it, loved it!)
Interesting perspective, and love the open mind and honesty regarding your implicit biases. Very cool to hear what someone with your knowledge and POV thinks of experimental music. I’d love to see your reaction to something from Live Dead by the Grateful Dead
Also I’m a huge fan of gorguts even though I’ve just found them recently, I think you may find something more interesting to you on that album because it has a lot of variety. Check out Sweet Silence for a more structured and sweet but still chaotic ripping and wild by the end track
Hey man i've got a question or two for the Q&A. First one, do you recommend classical training for getting into composition? Second one, could you explain counterpoints? You've brought it up a couple times but i'm still not getting a feeling for what it is. Keep up the good work and stay safe!
I think you'd like newer Gorguts material such as their "Colored Sands" and "Pleiades' Dust" albums. Give Ulcerate a shot as well. Tremendous technical death metal.
You definitely need to check out "Recharging the Void" by Vektor. You'll find it fascinating. It's one of the most artistic technical metal songs I've ever heard.
Classic Record. It makes no sense at first; but after a few repeated listens it clicks and slowly becomes a classic with’n the genre of Technical Death Metal.
Even though I like and appreciate Gorguts, I would have preferred Gorod, Beyond Creation, Virvum, First Fragment, Severed Savior.. or maybe old school tech death like Necrophagist, Cynic, Atheist, Death... well, we might still be getting Beyond Creation (my guess) as there's one more to come.
the singer Luc LeMay also wrote a classical string trio ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-H-Dz_IjpUPM.html note how once again he refuses to use more traditional progressions.
Please listen to despised icon- MVP, they’re one of the first death core bands I got into and they’re one of the OG’s of the genre. MVP is the song that got me into them
Look mom, I'm on TV, lol. Obscura is Gorguts' most loud, raw and chaotic album for sure, it's really hard to appreciate and enjoy it from the get-go even you analyze the shit out of it. I don't know if you'll have another week of tech\prog death metal, but it'd be great if you listen to a track from their most recent LP "Colored Sands", because it's somewhat more refined version of Obscura. And yeah, like I've said, their guitar technique on Obscura is bonkers. You can get a glimpse of it in playthrough video for "Chaos In Motion " track by Gorguts' members side project called Negativa. It's really just a bunch of tactically positioned slides, tapping and weird picking (often without any palm muting whatsoever).
I like Gorguts earlier albums which are a bit more straightforward. Just can't get into this album...From Wisdom to Hate has a few tracks I like though
Gorguts literally hurts to listen to but I think that's the point 😂😂, I personally don't find them all that amazing other than the colored sands album imo. A band that does this dissonant technical style better would be ulcerate, they just realesed a brand new album where they explored some more melodic ideas while still retaining the dissonant ulcerate feel. I strongly recommend you try out stare into death and be still by ulcerate.
I actually quite like Obscura and don't care that much abou Colored sands... And when it comes to Ulcerate, it's probably my fav tech death band, which album(s) do you prefer may I ask? :D
@@richardgamrat1944 at the moment I'm completely in love with ulcerates newest album "stare into death and be still" so that might be my favorite from them but before that "shrines of paralysis" was absolutely amazing
Gorguts have evolved their sound from this masterpiece of avant-garde sound of death metal. Im assuming you haven't heard their many outputs based off your comment. You should check out there discography to see the evolution between obscura and colored sands. They have spawned a ton of bands with their incredible selection influence
I love death metal, it's been above and beyond my main squeeze for music, but I've never been able to get into Gorguts. They have some amazing riffs here and there that i really love, but as stated in the video it's too Primus. Great band to learn as it will expand your skills especially in the weird time sigs and wackiness, just isn't my cup of tea.
Hahaha... clearly this is a reaction video listening to this song for the first time ever lol. These kind of videos are goofy as hell. But I guess people believe him as such which is awesome. Dumb
I feel like this is something I would have listened to back in like 2005 - 2007 during my noise/math metal phase. Their guitar tone actually reminds me a lot of a band called The Crinn, that I listened to back then... Except IMO The Crinn is way better. To each their own though.
@@metalhead4x448 If you can't see the patterns in it then you shouldn't even say anything about it. It's incredibly complex and unbelievably tight and yet chaotic. It's dizzying. Even if you don't like it, which is fine, I mean it's not easy to listen to, it's just moronic to call it nonsensical because it isn't.
