GOREFEST

This is not really the band. This is a tribute page for... G O R E F E S T --With death so pervasive in this world actual physical deaths due to illness, mindless violence, and war; socio-economic death caused by poverty; the death of truth in politics naming an album La Muerte (Spanish for death) is truly just a sign of the times, but for those who seek more meaning to whats reported on the 11 oclock news, death can also be a path to resurrection. In 2004, rumors that Dutch death metallers GOREFEST were planning a one-off festival performance quickly circulated amongst long-time fans and ultimately proved themselves true. The GOREFEST gig at Dynamo Open Air that summer not only launched negotiations to re-release their entire back-catalogue, but also brought with it a full-scale band reunion, a renewed affiliation with Nuclear Blast, and a new album for 2006 entitled La Muerte. For the necessary background information thatll give all of this the meaning it justly deserves, read on. One unholy Thursday night in November of 1988, vocalist / bassist Jan-Chris de Koeijer and guitarist Frank Harthoorn (a hard rocker J.C. had befriended at a local record shop) formed Condemned Heretics, which became Leprosy, then Abhorrence, and finally, GOREFEST. Alex van Schiak and Mark Hoogedoorn joined this nucleus on second guitar and drums respectively to record GOREFESTs first demo, Tangled In Gore, which led to a fair amount of record label interest in the band. A second demo, Horrors In A Retarded Mind, secured a tour with Carcass through Belgium and Holland and cultivated more fans for the band. By the time Foundation 2000 Records released their debut album, 1991s Mindloss, GOREFEST had a more than formidable following within the extreme metal underground. Dissatisfied with the bands level of musicianship in spite of their relative success, a line-up change was pursued (one that was immediately beneficial and would not waver) with the recruitment of former Agressor/Valkyrie/Elegy drummer Ed Warby and guitarist Boudewijn Bonebakker. In less than a year, GOREFEST was on tour in Europe with Deicide and in North America with Death. With their momentum expanding exponentially, GOREFESTs powerful, groove-laden sound gained comparisons to the innovativeness of then-early Entombed and Sepultura. In 1992, the band signed with Nuclear Blast Records and found their stride with the 1993 release of the technically accomplished False, which would go on to become a bonafide European death metal classic - as predicted by the response from the ecstatic crowd of over 50,000 fans at the Dynamo Open Air Festival that same year. In 1994, GOREFEST recorded their Dynamo set for The Eindhoven Insanity, their only official live release. 1995s Erase debuted the bands new logo and moved toward more traditional forms of metal while Soul Survivor, released in 1996, merged GOREFESTs powerful death metal heritage with the accessibility of 70s-style British rock. Later that year, GOREFESTs association with Nuclear Blast ended, and the band veered to the German imprint SPV / Steamhammer, releasing a work that continued to explore the bands interest in classic rock: Chapter 13. Toward the end of 1998, in the aftermath of a European tour with Judas Priest and after opening for Deep Purple in Brussels, GOREFEST announced that Chapter 13 would be the last album the band would ever record. It was the strained relationship between J.C. and Boudewijn that ultimately led to GOREFESTs implosion, and six years would pass before the two spoke to each other again. Luckily, a two-hour reconciliation via phone in 2004 prompted a speedy reunion. To prove that blood is thicker than water, the band secretly booked a rehearsal room. Soon after turning on their amps during their first jam session in years, GOREFEST was already drafting new material. In a gesture that seemed to reward the band for making amends, Nuclear Blast quickly approached GOREFEST after their reunion performance at 2004s Dynamo Open Air festival and invited them to come home. The end result of this chain of events is a monstrosity of an album: La Muerte is sure to cause death by suffocation because it simply wont give you a moment to catch your breath.This comeback is a glorious return to form for the once beleaguered Dutchmen, raves Metal Maniacs. True to the requirements for such high praise, La Muerte is a bold collection of what is old and new about GOREFEST - the first obvious example being the old-style artwork by MID (Napalm Death, Stampin Ground) emblazoned with the bands newest logo. Self-produced at Excess Studios in Rotterdam and mixed by Tue Madsen (The Haunted, Mnemic, Ektomorf) at AntFarm Studios, ample respect is paid to GOREFESTs past with the opening track, For The Masses. When The Dead Walk The Earth is an aggressive display of the death n roll groove the band later refined. Malicious Intent shows every indication of being the modern reincarnation of the classic track, The Glorious Dead, and the epic 9:53 instrumental bearing the name of the album musically encapsulates the bands 7-year hiatus. Sadly, none of this new material was debuted during GOREFESTs performance at Wacken Open Air in 2005, but rest assured that throughout these twelve new songs, the stark contrast of low growls with relaxed clean vocals show every reason why GOREFEST have been complimented by the likes of drummer extraordinaire Gene Hoglan (Strapping Young Lad / ex-Dark Angel) for letting their music breathe. While we know that the fear of dying is more dreaded than the act itself, the reunion of a revered band such as GOREFEST is a reminder that death borders on birth by granting us access to portals of choice. With the past year bringing you 365 days closer to your demise, your unsolicited advice for 2006 is this: The end of your life fast on your heels, so youd best patch up an old friendship, as you may never know what other gifts this sole act can bring.