St. Louis-based progressive metal outfit The Gorge will release their new studio album “Mechanical Fiction” on July 28th, 2023, via Pelagic Records.
Within the realms of progressive music exists a fine line between instrumental proficiency and bare-ass wanking. The art of remaining tasteful while performing crazy acrobatics on your instruments is difficult to master, but on their third full-length album “Mechanical Fiction”, The Gorge master the challenge with ease.
Born from their shared love for heavy music and twenty years of experience in playing together, The Gorge consists of four jazz musicians who use the project as a creative outlet besides their day jobs as session musicians and music educators. Triangulating the chaotic yet groovy energy and the guitar masterclass of Botch with the riffage of Mastodon and the nimble instrumental intricacy of Animals As Leaders or Intronaut, “Mechanical Fiction” is an immensely ear-pleasing collection of tasty riffs and complex compositions that are nonetheless free-flowing like a river smoothly carving its winding path through a rugged landscape.
In advance of the official unveiling of “Mechanical Fiction”, The Gorge has released a live, in-studio video session for the first single, “Beneath the Crust”, noting of the track, “[This is] the first single, but the oldest song on ‘Mechanical Fiction’. The extended double picking middle section is an endurance challenge, with Jerry Mazzuca’s drum part building different dynamics and feel changes in contrast to the static riff. The song thematically draws upon climate policy inaction and tipping points tied to methane buried under ice on the seafloor”.
Straddling a wide range of musical influences, “Mechanical Fiction” is an affair between four lovers of complex and heavy music. From the dazzling math rock complexities of album opener “Synapse Misfire” to the tapping acrobatics of “A Decision Was Made”, the whole of “Mechanical Fiction” exudes the pure joy these musicians must have felt while composing these tracks. Just following along the fast-chugging mid-section of “Beneath the Crust”, which leads to the beautiful surprise of a glorious choir hailing the sunrise, or just rocking out to the glorious riffing that kicks in after some blistering blast beats on “Presence” are just a few of the ample examples of memorability and pure face-melting bliss on “Mechanical Fiction”.
“‘Mechanical Fiction’ refers to the mundane ways in which we proceed through our lives”, explains guitarist & vocalist Phil Ring. “Living out routines because that is what we are supposed to do, we constantly go through the motions, telling ourselves that everything is okay”. Scratching the surface, The Gorge protrude pure fun combining tasteful guitar wizardry with giant grooves and a keen sense of songwriting, but delving deeper into the record and especially into the lyrics will lead to the discovery of unexpected emotional depth. “Dealing with the loss of loved ones to mental illness weighed heavily in the lyric writing process for me”, continues Ring. Shifting across the lyrics in his massive baritone growl, The Gorge frontman brings to life pure desolation and grief on songs like “A Decision Was Made” or “Earthly Decay” making them not only pack a punch musically, but also emotionally.
Nevertheless, among the scattered ashes these musicians always manage to find a spark of hope that ignites a fame of joy. The title track hearkens back to that time when fusion solo guitarists like Tosin Abasi and Plini became big names, but in contrast with these skilled axemen, The Gorge are less concerned with virtuoso soloing and more with repetition and structure. The statically pounding mechanisms of Meshuggah-style rifng and singing are artfully interspersed with surprising moments of pristine melody, which refect the two-faced nature of this record. The low-key “jazzy” midsection of “Earthly Decay” is a subtle moment in which the band’s musical pedigree shines through, but it’s actually in the artful buildup through the different sections towards a gnarly finale that really shows the compositional skill of these guys.
With their third full-length album, The Gorge takes you on a giant voyage of discovery from which an incredible amount of joy can be experienced. Besides being wizards at their instruments, the quartet also prove to be incredible composers who know when to shine and when to take a step back, which is a rare feat in progressive music these days. The final track “Wraith” offers a sublime moment in which the band’s compositional skill and emotional lyrics come together to offer one last opportunity for respite and consideration. Among the giant synthesizers, slow syncopated riffing and dying screams we are all laid to rest with our faces towards the sun set. Having come to the end of a life’s journey, The Gorge offers us the thing that we have all longed for: release from the bonds of our “Mechanical Fiction”.
“Mechanical Fiction” will be released on CD, LP, and digital formats. For preorders click here.
Tracklist:
1. Synapse Misfire
2. Remnants Of Grief
3. Presence
4. Beneath The Crust
5. A Decision Was Made
6. Earthly Decay
7. Mechanical Fiction
8. Wraith
Line-up:
Phil Ring – Guitar/vocals
Joe Bowers – Guitar
Chris Turnbaugh – Bass
Jerry Mazzuca – Drums
Weblinks:
www.facebook.com/TheGorge
www.instagram.com/thegorgestl
