### Gorefest: False

#### 07/07/11 || Daemonomania

##### Introduction

We’ve all heard of Gorefest, right? Do I need to introduce them to a website full of hairy European metalnerds and their American contemporaries? Where the band previously had a forum? Hopefully not. The Gores that once were twice and are no longer pumped out many a good piece of death metal in their day, but none have quite gripped Daemo’s ears and ripped them off the sides of his head quite like “False”. This album oozes stupendousness. Read below to find out exactly who, what, whammy, and with which ancient torture methods the Zeelanders in question get it done.

##### Songwriting

8.5. How is it that a band can mix faster parts and crawling doomy parts without sounding like Swedeath? How is it that a band can use riffs that sound like a tank steadily advancing upon a village of retarded infants and not sound exactly like Bolt Thrower? The answer lies in songwriting, the furnace in which classics are forged. Gorefest is always willing to break out of a great headbangable mid-paced riff and go a bit crazy on us with some oddly timed section before returning us to the warm embrace of that riff we knew before. I’ve read that there is a Godflesh influence in the strange bits, but not being much a fan of those dudes I couldn’t tell ya. A few songs don’t have quite the same zip as their mates and give the illusion that the album is losing steam. Wait a minute and you’ll realize you’re hearing something fantastic again. Feel sorry that you ever let a shred of doubt lurk in your puny skull. Basically we’re dealing with some very well-constructed death metal that puts many a slower/faster band both previously and afterward to shame.

##### Production

9. This album sounds dang-near perfect. Wouldn’t change a doggone thing about it. No wait, I’d make the rhythm guitars a bit more clear. OR WOULD I? The drum sound – jizz. The echo on the vocals – dope. The lead guitar’s place in the spectrum – never overpowering. Every song hits like a brick to the head, and Richardson deserves much applause for his work here. If only all death metal discs could sound 90% similar to “False” – what a wonderful world it would be.

##### Guitars

8. Wonderful mix of pulverizing Bolt-Throweresque slow riffs combined with tasty leadwork. Listen to the combination of both in “From ignorance…” and drool. Now and again the rhthym guitar just churns along underneath without being super-distinct, and on tracks like “Second face” it can be the weakest link in the Gorechain. But the leads are always on point, and a willingness to diverge from a straight groove adds major bonus points. Some of the doomier riffs give me that feeling of drinking a cold blue label Chimay on a hot day. Killer.

##### Vocals

9.5. Not quite sure why, but Jan-Kriss Kross’ vocals don’t float my boat on other Gorefest albums. Here though the dude positively destroys with a monster bellow, flattening all before him. FOOOOOOOOLS! Probably the only guy who calls people fools more per annum is Mr. T. Despite a sweet echo effect and the indisputable truth that we’re listening to death grunts, you can hear every word he’s uttering with maximum conviction. His performance on “Infamous existence” should be a gold standard by which DM vocals are judged.

On a side note, I wish they had included more of the higher raspy vocals that make a quick guest appearance on “Get-a-life”. It sounds sweet indeed, reminding me of mid-period Napalm Death.

##### Bass

7. Bass is good and we need it to live. Unless we are black metal. It doesn’t hop in the driver’s seat much, but without a bit of semi-subsonic rumbling the reeeeeaaaaallllyyyyy slllllloooowwww parts wouldn’t have as much power. Plus as I’ve said before several times – playing the bass while growling is not only cool but it’s one sure way SOMETHING you’re fucken doing in the band will get noticed. Perhaps by the pair of plump lovelies near the bar… hmmm…

##### Drums

9. Ed Warby. A cool individual. A man who endured me drunkenly/druggedly pantomiming Layne Staley’s heroin habit repeatedly during this year’s Maryland Deathfest. A man I accidentally elbowed in the head during Acid Witch. My apologies.

Aside from being the sole voice of reason in a reportedly She Grimace-obsessed crew of lunatics (Hail of BBW’s), Warby lays down one hell of a beating all over “False”. Few know how to drive a slow, trudging section home (Jensa or Kearns come to mind) like this, and there’s a ton of variety besides just mid-paced bludgeoning. Since I’m not a drummer I can’t go into much more detail, but if you’re interested in DM of the deliberate variety I URGE a close listen to Warby’s work here. ‘Tis a symposium of asskickness. It’s also rad to hear the alternate versions of some of these songs at the end of the disc, where Mr. Ed even drops in some blasts to really add to the excellence.

##### Lyrics

8. Quality lyrical content at last. Nothing here that would rival “Empty words”, but solid effort for ESL metalheads regardless. “Reality…” is a wonderful diss on the dying (the lines about getting fired/contract is over kill me), “Infamous…” stokes the rebel inside us all, “From ignorance…” and “State…” both insult racist morons, and the glorious dead of war turn out to be forgotten HATEriots in the long run – according to ze Fest. Worth a read, which is more than I can say for most Satanized gore in the genre.

##### Cover art

5.5. Too busy methinks. They’re trying to tell me a lot about things that are false, that much is for sure. Christianity. Stigmatized NRA members. A cross it would be very hard to break into. It all adds up to a pretty ugly album cover unfortunately.

##### Logo

5. It is a logo. It is certainly for a metal band. It is sloppy.

##### Booklet

8. I got this as a double disc with “Erase” and the booklet is cool. Lots of pictures of the band, a poorly-written but enthusiastic article (rimming GF basically) from some metal magazine, and more stuff that properly commemorates a classic release. Well, maybe “Erase” ain’t so classic. But yeah. I don’t think I’ve seen a booklet that I’d really give above an 8 to anyway. What would a paper CD tray insert have to do to earn a higher grade? Either have the lyrics and artwork painstakingly drawn in the band’s blood, be in 3D, or feature a pair of rubbery twat lips that I could pluck like a two-string banjo.

##### Overall and ending rant

Another one of those albums that is held in high regard here at GD, and for good reason. It’s a classic in every sense of the word. For those who crave midpaced, ace-crafted early 90’s Eurodeath with melody and groove to spare. Daemo’s about out of things to write here. I’ll wrap it up by saying that “Falsetto” isn’t perfect, but every song has an endearing and memorable doom riff, left wing lyric, or crushing drum assault that sets it apart. Van onwetendheid naar absolute overheersing!

- Information
- Released: 1992
- Label: Nuclear Blast
- Website: Gorefest MySpace
- Band
- Jan-Chris de Koeijer: vocals, bass
- Boudewijn Bonebakker: guitars
- Frank Harthoorn: guitars
- Ed Warby: drums

- Tracklist
- 01. The Glorious Dead
- 02. State of Mind
- 03. Reality – When You Die
- 04. Get-a-Life
- 05. False
- 06. Second Face
- 07. Infamous Existence
- 08. From Ignorance to Oblivion
- 09. The Mass Insanity