Photo by Natalie Heald
Originally formed in 2013, U.K. post-metal/sludge outfit Gozer has shapeshifted over the past near-decade. Band founders TJ Fairfax (drums/vocals) and Craig Paul (guitar/vocals) eventually welcomed bassist Kieran Sockett into the fray. That lineup toiled over the five tracks that comprise their upcoming record, An Endless Static. Across 47 minutes, Gozer churn their way towards catharsis. Decibel Magazine is honored to host the exclusive stream a few days before Trepanation Recordings releases An Endless Static on June 17th.
The album commences with “Into the Grey,” an opening track that patiently leads you down a corridor to darker shadows. It seethes with muted menace and graveyard poetry. While post-metal is known for cinematic songwriting, Gozer’s songs feel like widescreen compositions. The psychedelic components create worlds before the distortion levels them like an earthquake. The viola infused in “Augur” invokes the sultry doom of Giant Squid. Later, french horns guide “A Fading Light” from an ember to a flame. Like Neurosis or Cult of Luna, Gozer’s songs are pensive epics dense with emotion. By the time “Wintercearig” rumbles to its chilling conclusion, Gozer achieve a form of enlightenment.
“When we began writing what would become An Endless Static, the music seemed so much more dark and expressive than anything we’d written before as a band,” Fairfax shares. “With each of us having battled with our mental health at different stages in our lives, we saw the opportunity for it to be a cathartic experience. Then when the pandemic began, I don’t think any of us realized how much it would affect us all. We have lost some great people in the last two years, which has been heartbreaking. But it’s only amplified what this record is about and our feelings on how important music and art is to so many of us. We hope anyone who listens to this album will get something as positive from it as we did writing it.”
Cut through the static and press play on Gozer’s album below.
Pre-order Gozer’s An Endless Static from Trepanation Records HERE
Follow Gozer on Facebook for news and updates HERE
