Tribal Gaze are a death metal band from the US and this is their debut album.
The Nine Choirs is a 36-minute journey into death metal and hardcore territories that’s well-worn, yet feels fresh at the same time; Tribal Gaze take the old-school style and makes it absolutely massive, both through the mammoth sound of the record itself and how stupidly fun the music is. Tribal Gaze just destroy. Oh, and they have riffs for days.
Through granite brutality and punishing hooks do Tribal Gaze ram home their vision for heavy music. Hardcore influences that are just as old-school as the death metal ones can be heard too, and these enrich what is a feast of tasty extremity. An unholy hybrid of Morbid Angel, Obituary, Gatecreeper, and Merauder, Tribal Gaze really have this sort of thing down.
Tribal Gaze’s mastery of riffs is impressive. THE RIFFS I TELL YOU! Frequently the band just casually unleash a world-shattering stab of barbed distortion that cuts right through the everyday nonsense and hits right into the heart of what can make death metal such a powerful force. Recalling the might of Morbid Angel without actually losing any personality of their own, Tribal Gaze’s ability to structure and shape the guitars into exemplars of death metal potency is impressive.
Tribal Gaze have clearly put a lot of work into their songwriting. The well-crafted songs have a depth of malevolent atmosphere to them that’s hypnotic, while their crushing riffs and formidable presence can cause buildings to collapse at a hundred paces. The different paces, textures, and creative ideas are all well-realised, and the end result is a very satisfying and enjoyable slab of old-school death metal.
Heavy, groovy, and devastatingly effective, The Nine Choirs is near-impossible to not headbang too. It’s an album that demands you return to it frequently as it’s just so damn good to listen to.
Very highly recommended.
Wonderbox Metal 