Gorevent's first album, Abnormal Exaggeration, was above average slam. It relied on simple, pounding riffs and deep guttural vocals. In his review Andy referred to Gorevent as "2nd tier slam" in that they were worse than the best the genre had to offer, but still pretty good. With Worship Paganism, I think Gorevent have improved, but, to continue the metaphor, not enough to crack that 1st tier.
Worship Paganism follows basically the same formula as Abnormal Exaggeration. Slow and mid-paced chugs coexist along with angular slams and the occasional evil sounding tremolo riff. This album reminded me of Human Rejection's album Decrepit to Insanity if that album was about half the speed. If you want anything approaching technicality or anything grindy and blasting, you will be disappointed by this album. It definitely sticks to the slow, plodding side of slam.
Where I think Gorevent did well on this album is bringing out a feeling of bestiality and primitivism on this record. I realize these terms are a little vague (what music descriptor isn't) but those are the two best words I can think of describe the overall feeling of Worship Paganism. Gorevent are able to infuse their music with a feeling of dread and general creepiness. I think evoking these feelings are exactly what Gorevent had to do to keep their slow and simple formula interesting and I'm very glad they did. This album may not please those of you who are more into tech/brutal or deathgrind stuff, but I really liked it. If other Japanese bands started putting out albums of this quality, I think my concerns for the scene would be put mostly at ease.
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I kind of feel the same about this album as I did with Infernal Revulsion's second one. It's OK, it's by no means a bad album, but I don't like it as much as their debut. It's true, as good as some of these Japanese slam bands are they just don't seem to have much staying power.
Agree with Anonymous.
I actually really like the Japanese scene. As formulaic and predictable it is, I find most releases fun and enjoyable. They take slam so seriously, its mildly laughable. And thats what I like. Probably in my top 5 for slam scenes. I also love Russia and Indonesia...
A couple years ago I would've agreed with you, but recently they've faltered.
I prefer this one to Abnormal Exaggeration
I can agree with that to some extent. Some of the material is getting pretty tired, and I guess some new shit going on would be nice...
Hi, just to chime in, I agree that Worship Paganism is very good (although I still prefer Abnormal Exaggeration). The only downside to me on WP is that it felt to me that the production wasn't quite up to par with AE (although still miles ahead than their split with Embryionic Depravity). Gorevent is still one of my favorite bands, even outside of the Japanese scene, so take that for what's worth... sorry to ramble here, keep up the great job on this awesome blog guys! - Steve
I agree with you on the production choice, which I feel was a step down for this album. The split with ED is a reissue of demo works, though, so it's a given the production will be meh.
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