Album Review: Gurt – Satan ETC
Reviewed by Dan Barnes
It’s been nearly five years since the London crew popped out Bongs of Praise – easily one of the best album titles ever – and now they’re back with a new collection of nine tunes, guaranteed to do whatever it is you want Gurt to do to you. Our man, Tim, is rarely seen without some sort of Gurt merchandise somewhere on his person.
Going for a slightly different feel on Satan Etc, Gurt have recorded a series of shorter songs with more of an aggressive vibe evident throughout; without completely turning their backs on the Gurt sound of old, the band have incorporated new and diverse sounds into their patented silliness and general swagger.
Nothing seems amiss in the opening notes of The Most Dying Way to Die, with its big groove from the outset and those hard-hitting sludge rhythms familiar to the band. Bassist David Blakemore and his percussive partner, Bill Jacobs, keep everything bouncing along with a buoyancy liable to cause serious spinal damage, as Rich Williams adds the tone and shade with his six-strings. Gareth Kelly’s vocals are high-octane screams across the whole album, evoking the album’s titular character at times.
DOI of the Doid returns mid-album to some up tempo grooves and the earlier Appetite for Construction cloaks its hooky-rhythms behind a screen of technicality and a massive breakdown of almost post-metal proportions.
The traditional Gurt elements come to the fore on the fat-bass led Sandworm Fleshlight – a song about Onanism on the desert plains of Arakis -, the classic riffage of Electric Brown and the Sabbath-feel of Ennui Go, a slow and doomy progression in which Rich manages to replicate an Iommi tone to perfection.
Elsewhere Exit as You Enter is close to Black Metal in the early exchanges, Gareth could be accused of summoning the dark lord from the pit at any point; the aggressively titled Knife Club comes complete with a more confrontationally direct presentation, running through all manner of peaks and troughs, yet concluding with a satisfying chug.
The most shocking tune on Satan Etc is In for a Penny, In for a Pounding as it is almost entirely devoid of sludge elements. From the opening moments, the tune is thoroughly modern, bringing to mind Gojira in the first few bars. As the track unfurls we get clean, ringing guitars and slow, steady drumming, which lays down the foundation for a moment that shows Gurt, for all their antics and japes, are accomplished composers and musicians.
That said, the subject matter on Satan Etc - other than wanking behind a sand dune – include the love of brown cars, botched vasectomies and how much Gareth loves his children. An eclectic range of topic for any album, I think you’ll agree.
In a world increasingly becoming devoid of humour, we need bands like Gurt to release Satan Etc and remind us all life is not to be taken too seriously, and to chill out once in a while. Slap this on and say “Fuck you!” to life for forty minutes; it’ll still be waiting when you get back, you’ll just care ever so slightly less.
