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Rating: Netherlands, a land of navigators and painters; tough people who have been accustomed for centuries to battling the sea to obtain arable and habitable land. The band hails from the Zeeland region, a land of the sea indeed, and in 1992 was committed to providing a worthy follow-up to the devastating debut of the previous year; that "Mindloss" which was characterized by a completely Death Metal sound, overly excessive in its uncontrolled violence.
The singer and leader Jan Chris De Koeyer has very clear ideas to make the anticipated leap in quality for his band, revolutionizing the band's line-up by introducing a new guitarist and a new drummer. The production is once again entrusted to Colin Richardson, who just a few months earlier had worked on the new albums of Carcass and Napalm Death; the sound becomes less cacophonous and monotonous, thanks also to the excellent work of the Nuclear Blast label which in those years was a synonym for absolute guarantee (those were the days!).
From the start, there is a noticeable greater sound exploration, with the average duration of the tracks exceeding five minutes: the successful attempt by Gorefest to stay in the songs as long as possible, with an endless series of guitar riffs of unprecedented power, is evident. With a sound, in the more slowed down and Hard-Heavy parts of the tracks, that undoubtedly recalls the masterpiece of the previous year recorded by the aforementioned Carcass: that "Necroticism - Descanting The Insalubrious," an authentic cornerstone of an entire genre that in those years was seeking new ways to express itself. After the outburst of the late eighties, Death Metal indeed began to absorb outside influences to evolve into something new, with Carcass, as usual, representing the movement's avant-garde and inspiring many other groups. From this desire for renewal come the Hard-Heavy influences that add a healthy dose of groove to the deadly music of Gorefest. The Rock approach will soon start to gain followers, and the so-called Death'n'Roll will be born, finding fertile ground especially in Sweden. Mentioning "Wolverine Blues" by Entombed is obligatory, but also "Massive Killing Capacity" by cousins Dismember deserves mention, not to forget the ever-present English butchers with their "Swansong". It must be said that despite the mutation that occurred, the DNA of Gorefest remains unmistakably Dutch: indeed, the riffs are always very scratchy and particularly abrasive to our ears, very "thrashy", a characteristic found in all Death Metal bands from the land of tulips, just listen to "Consuming Impulse" by Pestilence or any song by Asphyx, but also the historical Sinister or the unknown Dissect, to realize it, some slashes leave a mark!
As for me, "False" certainly does not reach the Carcassian masterpiece of 1991, yet remains an excellent record, among the best released the following year concerning Death Metal.
With a rather eloquent title and a cover depicting drawings of Gothic Churches, armed stigmatized men, and crucifixes, it's easy to imagine against whom and what the invectives of the vocalist Jan Chris are directed. His is an extreme guttural growl: at some moments of his "singing," it really sounds like the demonic scream of a person skinned alive and put on the grill. A great calling card for someone like me who loved and continues to love such an extreme musical genre.
A few seconds of intro, followed by a cold and icy voice (another characteristic that still reminds me of Carcass): right after, you plunge straight into Hell with Jan's inhuman scream opening the dances; in fact, splitting you in two because the first track "The Glorious Dead" begins with a remarkable Death outburst, mainly supported by Ed Warby's deadly drumming; then the piece slows down, entering dark, slow territories that crush in the listening. But the truce is short, because it starts again with one of those typical Death Metal accelerations. An incredible start for an album that continues for its entire duration in the same way, with the slowed parts making the band's sound very personal and recognizable.
Before closing, I want to point out another track, for me, the pinnacle of the album: the over six minutes of "Reality - When You Die" where Colin's monolithic and bastard production comes to the forefront in all its blind fury. A fury in any case always controlled by Gorefest who want, and fully succeed, to demonstrate enormous growth compared to the debut of the previous year. A track with a Doom Sabbath-esque beginning, this time leaning on the precise and dynamic work of the two guitars; it proceeds amidst the growls of the vocalist-bassist until the song literally explodes on itself, with the double bass drum becoming the absolute protagonist before yielding the way to a new acceleration until the concluding disruption and a final turn, this time into even progressive territories: a track that I define very simply as crazy, not finding a better term.
Unfortunately, this second Gorefest record will not have a worthy follow-up; the band indeed will continue its career, embellishing its sound with too many Hard-Melodic openings to fully embrace the emerging Death’n’Roll, as already mentioned, with the subsequent album “Erase”; I keep my copy of the original vinyl, straw-yellow in color, very close: a characteristic of Nuclear Blast in that period, as several other Death bands' records also had a color different from the usual (for example, cobalt blue in "Indecent And Obscene" by Dismember").
Tracklist and Lyrics
01 The Glorious Dead (04:36)
Blood on your hands as you put them
Near the hole in your chest.
Where the bullet struck and threw you
Flat into the mud.
"Come on lads" the bastards soon will be defeated
God is on our side was what you heard
When all went black
For god and the country we raise our heads
All real heroes die the glorious dead
From this point of view it all looks very different
As you cough up blood and an intense cold
Runs up your spine
No one ever told you that it could be like this
Dehumanised, no respect for life, you want to cry
For god and the country we raise our heads
Or ideals that weren't yours the glorious dead
Misguidence was your undoing
Death stares you in the face
Memories, past times flash by
As they declare you dead
For god and the country you raised your head
Who remembers your name the glorious dead
02 State of Mind (05:37)
Other men's fear strengthens you
As you march the streets
With hatred in your eyes
With combat boots and battle dress
All for the cause, strict in line
"Our country for our people" is what you claim
But who are our people?
Who decides whether one is scum
Or a fine example of our god fearing society,
You maybe?
Well if you are our future
There will be no place for me
I despise your ideas
And your clenched fist doesn't impress me
I won't feel sorry for you
You chose what you wanted to be
But I hope I don't live to see that day
No, not for me
03 Reality - When You Die (06:33)
The final chapter's finished
The curtain is about to fall
Ending mediocre life
Nothing to be proud of at all
Thinking back now
Despising yourself
Feelings oppressed
Always ready to bow
It wasn't real life
In fact just a play
From which, you the actor
Got fired today
Your final walk down the hallway
No applauding masses in here
Not even dead and already forgotten
Your mind is filling with fear
Never any grip on situations
Your "life" just passed you by
And all the sudden it becomes clear
And insanity takes over now
You're not going out with a bang
You won't have "your" day
Your no longer wanted in this dull play
It wasn't real life
Never came close in a way
Your contract is over
Your finished today
And then you die
Part of a generation
Whose minds are all polluted
By the habit of consumption
No need to get a life
Everything's been taken care of
Your back bone is attached to strings
In the puppetplay you're part of
No it wasn't real life
It never came close in a way
It's a shame you found out too late
Reality is when you die
06 Second Face (05:18)
Fool yourself, but don't fool me
I know what you are
No ideals but just an image
A weak disguise of your mind
A mind that is rotten
You're used to abuse
Be false, spread rumours, talk shit
That's really your way
But I can't be bothered.
You make people watch their back
Never face to face
They might see through your cover
Through your cover
Your second face
Cheating the ones that care
Your plastic face is always smiling
Pretended interest, you couldn't care less
You're not for real, I voice my disgust
Claimed intelligence, the fool you are
We're all laughing
What is it that you're trying to achieve?
Because you can never take my pride
You won't see that day
Take my hand
Take my arm
I can't be bothered
Take it all, you fool!
Cheating the ones that care
Your plastic face is always smiling
Pretended interest, you couldn't care less
You're not for real, I voice my disgust
But one of these days
Your plastic face will start to crack
And we'll create a new world
In which shit like you is banned
I await this day
08 From Ignorance to Oblivion (04:59)
Look the opposite way
If someone explains his intentions
Criticising is what you good
At already formed your opinion
Don't bother to understand
That people have different ideas
About the way they live their lives
Despising greed and enviousness
The standards you live up to
Are purely based on hatred
Towards other cultures and races
Mankind would be better off without you
Without you
From ignorance to oblivion
09 The Mass Insanity (04:18)
Your mind is overtaken
By the ignorance of mankind
Stop thinking about your future
Just living for today
Living for today
But what's the point of your life
When you cannot think, just follow rules
When emotions are based on hatred
The truth upon lies
The downfall of humanity
Is caused by mass insanity
Neglecting of self consciousness
Leads to self-destruction
The killing of our environment
Means the end of our existence
You had your fun, your game to play
So it's only you who is to blame
It's only you who is to blame
The downfall of humanity
Is caused by mass insanity
Neglecting of self consciousness
Leads to self-destruction
You live in fear, it's now too late
Your future has been written
Your life will never be the same
Though it's only you who is to blame
It's only you who is to blame
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