Formed in 2004, Gaza is a 4-piece Grind/Sludge/HC outfit from Utah, USA.
Their line-up consists of:
Casey Hansen - Drums
Anthony Lucero - Bass
Michael Mason - Guitar
Jon Parkin - Bass /Vocals
Tracklist:
1. Mostly Hair And Bones Now
2. This We Celebrate
3. The Truth Weighs Nothing
4. Not With All The Hope In The World
5. The Vipers
6. No Absolutes In Human Suffering
7. The Crown
8. When They Beg
9. Winter In Her Blood
10. Skull Trophy
11 . Routine And Then Death
I am honored to present to you what has so far become one of my personal favorite albums of the year. My top 5 is constantly rotating, but I must say, this one has stuck with me from the very beginning. They have really outdone themselves with latest effort, 'No Absolutes In Human Suffering', being the 3rd full-length under their belt thus far.
Their theme is post-apocalyptic in nature, focusing on everything that is utterly wrong with this cruel, fucked up world... be it human suffering, death, war, and strife in general. Interpretation is open, but much of what Gaza is trying to get across is apparent lyrically, especially this album's track title selection.
The intense delivery of both vocals and instrumentation give off an oppressive atmosphere of bleak, hopeless aggression - much like Haarp - minus the doom aspect. I love their mixture of the low, melodic, yet eerily calm sludge riffs that morph into an unpredictable, noisy grind assault. The fact that they experiment a bit with these sounds and manage to churn out something so powerful and overwrought with emotion is quite impressive in itself.
Track for track, Gaza seem to blend all of these elements flawlessly. I find an immense beauty in their atmospheric sections, with 'When They Beg' being a highlight and perfect example of that.
'No Absolutes In Human Suffering' is the type of album you can easily spin countless times and never tire of. I must have listened to it 30 times by now! Although the album isn't overly technical, there is no doubt that these guys are definitely accomplished musicians.
I urge fans of Gaza and those of you into this sound to check out this release promptly, and I guarantee it will bring you the same satisfaction I felt upon hearing this gem.
As always, support your local scene and artists, even word of mouth helps immensely in getting them heard somehow. Thanks for your cooperation.
Gaza - No Absolutes In Human Suffering (2012)
