Album Review: Gozer’s “The Far Realm”

ALBANY – On March 18^th, hard-rock band Gozer released their debut record, The Far Realm. Featuring eight songs of pure grit with unapologetic riffs, pounding bass and drums, and vocals that definitely aren’t one-dimensional, the energy brought forth by the band is extremely palpable. And kick ass.

Starting off with “Weight of the World,” we are quickly greeted to highly distorted guitars, overdriven bass, and smashing drums, all serving to kick this album immediately into the stratosphere. With vocals nice and upfront – a welcomed production choice in a genre that often buries them – the record takes no time in establishing itself as a greasy stomper. The bass notes being slammed in this tune are demanding attention – you can hear the damned rattle of the string being close to throttle. It’s intense. While this particular listener always welcomes guitar solos, this one doesn’t add or detract from the tune; it’d be very enjoyable either way.

Up next is “Poisoned Crown.” With a nice galloping riff in dropped tuning, there are some nice reference points to bands such as Mastodon that audiences hear on this track. What I really appreciate about this track is that Gozer utilizes a different register for the vocals, showing the variety of melody and tonality from the last song. Near the end of the tune, all but the guitars drop out before the band kicks into one final musical interlude and subsequent outro. It’s a great way to change the pace and sonic feeling of the song.

On “Zeke,” track three, we hear cymbals clashing before the guitars and bass kick in, followed by the vocal. There’s this distinct, sludgy (yet smooth?) quality to the song. It’s hard to describe, but the swing feel and relentless hesitation in the notes add to its vibe. When something threatens to go out of time – but never does – it creates such a unique feeling to the music, and in this case, it enhances the listening experience.

Ending the first half of the album is “Braindead.” Guitar panning is one of my favorite tricks to use when making a song sound full. There’s a reason why it works, and Gozer adds yet another demonstration to that fact! The guitar sound on this track is huge, featuring identical parts in both ears; it sounds super powerful. While the last guitar solo referenced could’ve been left out, this one definitely couldn’t have. It kicks ass, and there’s no other way to state it. It follows the chord changes and tells a story of its own, just as a solo should.

Doing similar things with guitar panning, “My Design,” track five, expands on sonic textures a bit, incorporating – according to this listener’s ears – more variety in all the guitar parts. On top of that, the song is proof of how well-produced the record is. Though there are a lot of similar notes and tones in the instrumentation, nothing is getting lost or unheard. Everything has been allowed its own sonic space, and that only serves the song further. The latter half of the record maintains the vibe we’ve come to expect from the band thus far.

I really enjoy the interplay between the instruments on this record, but especially so on “The Fury,” track six. Also worth noting is a humorous turn of phrase sung before the band briefly stops playing, before coming back in with another pounding interlude section, visceral scream, and eventual outro vocal and conclusion.

Representing the title of the track quite well, the instrumentation and riffs on “Gallows,” track seven, convey regret and remorse so well. The drum break featured in this song is a welcome change of pace, as is the bass outro.

The album’s closer, “The Beast That Lies,” is another good example of the band exploring higher vocal melodies, and with its galloping nature, the tune serves well as a high-energy banger of a concluding statement. There’s some really nice modal guitar work performed on this piece that cannot be overlooked. After the blistering guitar solo, we hear a fade-in to an entirely different rhythm – much sludgier, as if the band is slowly making its way out of the album before the last chord is blasted.

The sound of Orange and Marshall’s amps blending together is so recognizable and undeniable. There’s a reason why a lot of rockers use them. Utilizing this sound on eight tracks (which, may I add, is the perfect length for a record of this type – the visceral nature of the sound can get exhausting after too long), Gozer has crafted one hell of an album that is reminiscent of works from such bands as Mastodon and Clutch. Check it out for yourself here.