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GUTLESS “High Impact Violence”
GUTLESS “High Impact Violence”
By Theron Moore
Australian death metal warriors GUTLESS recently released their new record “High Impact Violence” six years after releasing their demo to the world of metal. Better late than never, right? “High Impact Violence” is a big deep dive into 90's old school, Floridian, death metal. Think DEICIDE and you pretty much have the idea of what's being presented here.
From a pure musical standpoint GUTLESS scratch that itch of delivering skull crushing death metal. Check that box off. The problem is, they're not giving us anything new. The press release placed an emphasis on the nostalgia aspect noting the "old school" artwork, but the DEICIDE influence is tough to get past.
Song titles include "Bashed And Hemorrhaging," "Scalpel Obsession," "Carved Into Existence," "Gore God," etc. I get it, you're doing death metal, but it comes across as trying too hard to get that message across. It doesn't bother me that old school or Floridian death metal is being honored here, that's fine, but bring something original to the table that differentiates you from bands in that genre. I just didn't get that with this this disc.
Again, if you're looking for journeyman death metal, a nod to the past, and lots of brutal music, you're in the right place. GUTLESS deliver the goods, no doubt but their songs and music just don't stand out on their own. There’s little musical identity and too much cashing in from a since bygone era.
If GUTLESS threw some originality into their music, carved out their own ID, set themselves apart from everyone else, I'd dig what they're doing. Make no mistake they're making decent death metal but it's cookie cutter, too much cut and paste for me. Stream the record, check it out for yourselves, but I can't recommend it.
2/5 Stars
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