The Fest has returned! These Dutch Death Metal war machines have listened to the pleas of their fans and followers – and finally, after a 7-year-hiatus, they`re back with a true monstrosity of an album! Ironically entitled "La Muerte", Gorefest´s sixth studio effort shows Jan-Chris de Koeijer and his boys aren´t mere living legends – they`re back and they`re after your blood...
Produced by the band at Excess studios in Rotterdam and mixed by mastermind Tue Madsen (Mnemic, Ektomorf and many others) at AntFarm studios, "La Muerte" grabs the listener by the throat right from the opener: ‘For The Masses’ is just the brutal riff and doublebass attack we`ve all been waiting for since the legendary "False".
The in-your-face blastbeat drumming by Ed Warby, the fierce trademark growls and monstrous bass sound by Jan-Chris, plus the beautiful twin guitar work by Frank Harthoorn and Boudewijn Bonebakker won`t give you a moment to breathe during those twelve new masterpiece songs.
The groovy heaviness of ‘When The Dead Walk The Earth’, the masterly duelling guitars on ‘The Call’ or the grinding yet sophisticated title track – you`ll find everything on "La Muerte" that made you fall in love with these Dutch Death Metal kings in the 1990s. Just listen to ‘You could make me kill’: this catchy monster incorporates both thunderous Death Metal headbanging material and a beautifully melodic chorus line that will infect you instantly. So, it`s not only back to those glorious days of "False" and "Erase" for Gorefest – they`ve reached perfection in combining classic Fest with a modern songwriting approach.
Founded by vocalist/bassist Jan-Chris De Koeijer and guitarist Frank Harthoorn in 1989, Gorefest released their debut album "Mindloss" in 1991 after they attracted quite some attention in the extreme Metal underground.
Signing to Nuclear Blast in 1992 (now enforced by guitarist Boudewijn Bonebakker and drummer Ed Warby), the band issued the legendary "False" album that quickly gained cult status and showed the band from a far more technical and sophisticated side.
Next up was "The Eindhoven Insanity", recorded live at the Dynamo metal festival in Holland; the proper follow-up, "Erase", was released in 1994 and turned out to be a modern classic: Gorefest mixed their and of Death Metal with catchy guitar melodies firmly hooked in the classic Metal department and lots of rolling midtempo grooves. Especially the title track is a masterpiece to remember! Keeping focused on melodies and 70s Brit Metal, 1996`s Soul Survivor" threatened to burst through the barriers of Death Metal and showed the band from a rather experimental side. "Chapter 13", Gorefest´s swan song, was released in 1998, and it continued with the band`s interest in classic rock. However, just before the end of the year, the band announced its breakup.
In the summer of 2004, negotiations to re-release the entire Gorefest back catalogue resulted in the band reforming. After a bunch of killer reunion shows at the 2005 summer festivals such as the prestigious Wacken festival, "La Muerte" will finally be upon us all...
