Chicago has been a hotbed of metal for the last 40 years. Don’t believe all the hype of the east and west coasts! We’ve had scores of thrash metal, death metal, and stoner/doom/sludge/whatever other hipster styling metal bands go on to conquer the battered minds and eardrums of headbangers worldwide. But two genres the city largely lacks in are black metal and crust punk. The amalgamation of these styles has been all the rage the past decade and I’m surprised it took this long. The marriage of black metal and crust go as far back as Bathory’s self titled debut. Quorthon took just as much from the abrasive attitude of Discharge as he did the sinister darkness of Hellhammer. Fast forward nearly four decades later and Chicago scum squad, Gaunt, kills two birds (and some braincells) with one stone on their debut demo.
The demo begins with “The Void” which is a straightforward black metal song with some crusty undertones. It’s give or take for me since I don’t care for most black metal after the first wave. However, Gaunt finds their footing on “Death Incarnate”. This is a nasty, ripping track leaning more on crust than black metal. It goes between mosh worthy mid tempo verses and a frantic blackened chorus. I couldn’t help but think Gaunt is stronger when focusing on crust over black metal. The rest of the demo proved correctly.
“Flesh Ritual” and “The Bleeding” both continue the crust attack of “Death Incarnate”, though at different speeds. “Flesh Ritual” is fast and unrelenting. I hear Bathory in the riffs and verses, as well as early Slayer in the guitar solo. Meanwhile, “The Bleeding” ends things on an absolutely filthy note. Take away the guttural vocals and you’ve got yourself a Discharge song. D-beats back up the rumbling bass and savage riffs which result in a cacophony of chaos.
All over the alleys of Chicago, signs are posted which read “Warning: Watch out for rats!” Little does Mayor Lori Lightfoot know there’s an even more vile creature running amuck. Gaunt is coming to a basement near you…unless your fridge is empty…then you’re probably safe. But for those with filled fridges, be forewarned. The crust shall commence and you’re gonna like it!
6 out of 10
Label: Independent
Genre: Black Metal/Crust
For fans of: Bathory, Discharge, Toxic Holocaust