Gohrgone‘s sound roars again.
Formed in 2012 in Paris, the band started with Deathcore, which would turn into Black/Death with mythological influences. In 2022, Thomas Lord Noué (vocals, Scolopendra), Eddy Pelletier (guitar), Chris (drums, Beer Breath) and Olivier Le Lin Morgan (bass/vocals, Beer Breath, Scolopendra) announce the release of Fulgur Imperii, illustrated again by 3mmi Design (Catalyst, No Return, Dark Mirror ov Tragedy…), on M&O Music.
The album starts with Fulgur Imperii, the eponymous track, which develops an worrying and epic sound while placing warlike tones before Father of a Coming God reveals its heaviness through jerky riffs. The catchy rhythmic coupled with massive vocal parts and majestic samples is extremely effective as well as the raw and oppressive melting of Ultimate Patricide which offers an aggressive and sometimes heady mix. The track is short but fairly straightforward, and it guides us into the haunting riffs of Divine Incest, a track which cleverly places slower, choking parts the band will combine with dissonant sounds, especially on the end of the track which lets the band dip into Doom influences to crush us before March of Zeus, a dark interlude. The slow samples guide us to Poisoned Gift which also relies on ominous sounds before the rhythmic comes to strike us with a solid rhythmic, but also with a massive and devastating final break, then slowness will reign on The Sacred Torchbearer and its simple but heavy riffs. Drums will offer a double kick roll then a blast that both stick to the massive sounds, while Storm of Defeat will let the band accelerate again to create a more violent atmosphere and conducive to crowd movements. The composition is very rhythmed, letting epic samples strengthen the break before rage resurfaces, then the long Return To Chaos comes to wrap us in its disturbing darkness and its heavy sounds. Vocals also become more oppressive and visceral, revealing wild screams which perfectly match the riffs’ Black Metal roots, which eventually cease and let Oblivion close the album with sinister sounds.
Gohrgone definitely knows what to do to create effective tracks with epic tones, and the band proves it again with Fulgur Imperii, a massive album which confirms the feelings left by the previous opus.
90/100