Gutterfire!
Chill
Wormholedeath: 2022
https://www.facebook.com/gutterfire/
The good thing about globalisation is that we finally get to experience bands from the other side of the world without having to have them shipped to you for six weeks. That makes me very grateful about listening to “Chill”, the debut album by GUTTERFIRE! who are from Brisbane in Australia. They describe the music they play as High Energy Armageddon Hard Rock. What does that entail, I hear you ask? Well, it's Speed Rock mixed with some Thrash, some Desert Stoner Rock, a bit of Heavy Metal and a little Melodic Rock. And as the band never relents, I also get the Armageddon bit. They started in 2018, and three years later they are exposing us to a full album of their musical efforts.
I must admit that it took me a large number of listening sessions before I could appreciate the match between the voice and the music. At first, they sounded despondent with each other, but all of a sudden it all clicked, it all came together. And I'm very happy about that, as the music on “Chill” is without a doubt high class. Even when it sometimes backfires, like on “Justice”. The silent part of the song shows that singer Photon Jon is better off being a power house than a softly spoken voice. And still, it still sounds coherent.
On the other hand, a definite future classic is “Recovery”. What an absolutely brilliant song! Everything is right about this short anthem. It has power, it has speed, it sounds like QOTSA at their best. A close second is “Shit Bag”, which is quite the opposite of what the title suggests. This starts off slow, but turns into one of those that you just can't seem to forget, however hard you try. In old fashioned terms I might say that side two of the album actually just trumps side one, as rockers like “Rhythm” do take your breath away. The build-up is exemplary, resulting in another great listening experience. Even the last song on the album, “Eyes Up” is a good example at how music can enthral you.
And although this is from the other side of the globe for me, as I live in the Netherlands, I really love the simplicity of GUTTERFIRE! and the intensity of “Chill”. I feel that the GUTTERFIRE! is only just starting and still has some ground to cover before they reach their best. I for one can't wait to enjoy that ride with them. Please hit me with it when the time comes!
MetalWim van Grunsven
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