Review of Gorgasm - Masticate to Dominate

As I sit here in my comfy room, chuckle aftershocks still sneak their way out in regards to the 3rd shift law enforcement officer who was obviously so intrigued by Gorgasm’s Masticate to Dominate blasting inside my parked and running 4 door wagon at the local Kwik Trip that he had to stop and take a look inside while sporting his anti-death metal grimace. Obviously, anything that is not country music deserves further inspection. There must be illicit substances inside w/ music like that.

Since their inception, Gorgasm has been all about tightly knit brutality w/ flesh melting speed and just a touch of melody w/ heavy, blasting harmonies. If you’ve heard previous efforts like Bleeding Profusely, then you know what Masticate to Dominate will be about. Bleeding Profusely had the all time master Dave Culross on session drums, and when I saw Gorgasm at Ohio Death Fest a few years back, they had “some other dude” on skins, and I laughed because when it came time for some of those impossible double-kicks that Culross laid to tape, the beats were cut in half because the new guy just couldn’t handle the speed on the original version. Masticate is surprisingly more “catchy” than Bleeding Profusely, w/ more distinctive riffing and breakdowns. The songs have more density and clearer direction, and the trademark harmonies are stronger w/ more beef in the tone. Production is a very clean, natural sound, especially in the drums, where the double kick turns solids to liquids by mid-album. Gorgasm never slow down really; all riffs are fast, precise, and perfect in correlation to drum work. When the guitar explosion clears for a second, you can count on dual grinding pit riffs over very speedy double kick. It’s a sure-fire formula for snappin’ necks. Gorgasm have a “tri-vocal” attack, and while it’s not easily recognized on the disc, you’ll be looking all over the stage while they’re live trying to figure out who’s doing the growling.

Each piece of work here is a 100 mph fastball of fury with paralyzing blast beats, extremely heavy chunk-breaks, and super tight & brilliant grinding harmonies. Everything is short; from the solos to the songs themselves, but this formula seems to work to their advantage, preserving freshness and potency. Gorgasm is class “A” brutal death metal all the way, and it’s no surprise seeing as it’s a Unique Leader release. Masticate to Dominate is a thoroughly satisfying listen from beginning to end, as it leaves no space empty, especially in this new percussion fiend’s exploding chimes and whole-hearted overall drumming effort (more on this convulsing machine in a forthcoming Bloodletting tour review).

Release Details

Gorgasm

Masticate to Dominate

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