I picked up Gorguts' latest release right after witnessing their live set at a local club. Most of the material they performed was taken from this new album, but they also played a few songs from "Obscura," and I was very pleased to see that the band were up to the task of pulling off their technical wizardry live.

With regards to the new album, I have to say right away that this is not quite a step forward from "Obscura." In a way, this is more of a regression. Maybe it had to do with the line-up changes (there are two new members, including guitarist Daniel Mongrain of Martyr), or perhaps because the band were just unable to take another full-fledged step into the unknown, or maybe they decided to exercise restraint in order not to let their experimentations get out of hand. Whatever the case may be, the point is that "...Wisdom..." would probably serve better as a prequel to "Obscura" rather than a sequel. Elements of technical brilliance and weirdness of "Obscura" are still present, but they have either been watered down or diluted with more traditional death metal attributes. Granted, this is still a great album. There are plenty of interesting rhythms, structures, and impressive song writing that make "...Wisdom..." much more forward-looking than the vast majority of contemporary death metal. Plus, those people who felt that "Obscura" was too "out there" will have something to grab on to with this release. Ultimately, however, if you compare it to the bizarre genius of "Obscura" itself, it does seem kind of lowbrow. Then again, maybe the band are still looking for that perfect balance between experimentation and their death metal heritage, and with this album they are just trying to approach the matter from a different angle.

Personally, I still enjoy this album very much, and so can you, just do not expect it to blow "Obscura" away.

© 2001 boris