Boston may not be the likeliest origin for a stoner band, but if Elder can do it, then why can’t Gozu?
Formed in 2009, they released their first two albums on stoner Mecca Small Stone Records, giving them a leg-up into the pantheon of fuzz aficionados, but Revival finds them rubbing shoulders with Grifter and Mothership.
From the moment Nature Boy introduces Marc Gaffney’s smoky, Chris Cornell-esque vocals, the riffs, leads, sonorous bass hooks and the deft skin-pounding of ex-Warhorse drummer Mike Hubbard points to QOTSA as a source of inspiration. But as Revival progresses, Gozu’s experimental persuasions unravel, and in doing so distinguishes them from working-men’s stoner that tends to lack innovation. Closer Tin Chicken says it best with eight minutes of whacked-out LSD SFX and an infinity of echoey solos. It’s not all prismatic widdle, though, and when they’re not tripping out Gozu are tight and groovy, making for a nice package.
