Unearthing the Depths of WOUND: Ghorot’s Full-length Sophomore Album

To be honest, metal music and I haven’t always gotten along. Yes, there is a healthy amount of doom and stoner metal bands in various playlists of mine. Yet more often than not, when I discover a band that falls under the massive umbrella of ‘metal music’, I will look into their album and hear only white noise… no, excuse me… black cacophonies instead. I feel like I have witnessed too many sweaty bros and heshers reliving their glory years, donning Metallica or Tool tour shirts, or even worse, hearing the same ideas and sounds that have existed for decades before they ever started skipping their kids' soccer games to go to band practice. And then sometimes I discover artists so damn good I want to start sacrificing goats in my backyard, I begin practicing Mongolian throat singing, and want to go get my clavicle tattooed. Artists like the three-piece harbingers of blackened doom and Boise’s own, Ghorot (@ghorotdoom).

Ghorot, from left to right: Brandon Walker, Carson Russell, and Chad Remains

I was a little nervous to review Carson Russell’s (bass/vox), Chad Remains’ (guitar/amp/vox), and Brandon Walker’s (drums/vox) upcoming album WOUND, a beautifully confounding and uncompromising album recorded by Andy Patterson (of bands Subrosa, Ascend, and The Otolith) that will be released October 6th on Lay Bare Recordings (Nijmegen, Netherlands), Transylvanian Recordings (Oakland, CA), and King Of The Monsters (Phoenix, AZ). Sure, I’ve always been impressed by Ghorot but I will admit haven’t listened to their studio sessions much before these last few weeks. I always say that I want an album to transcend the live sound, and after having seen Ghorot a handful of times I knew that would be hard to do. I’ve always been blown away by their shows’ overall aesthetic and energy, trust me when I say that this is a band that seems to belong on a stage.

Also, I was nervous because I am no expert in the genre. Furthermore, what if I said something they don’t like? These three guys look like they eat hipsters like me for breakfast. Luckily, I pulled up my big girl pants and stopped being such a wimp about it. I accepted my fate, my impending doom if you will, and plunged into the depths of this dark abyss, and have come out the other side to tell you all about my epic journey. And yes, it was doomy, dark, and 100% epic.

WOUND cover art

WOUND is Ghorot’s full-length sophomore album and will be an auditory journey for its listeners. The layout of its five blasphemous tracks is intentional and well thought out, an orchestrated rollercoaster of dynamic ups and powerful downs. The album starts with my second favorite track on the album “Dredge” (check out their music video here), a powerful song that aptly gives you a taste of what is in store: a well-recorded, and artistically powerful and heavy soundscape of mind-boggling doom.

Each track thereafter transitioned smoothly, and while listening, it was easy to forget I was listening to just three people; these songs contain many layers of technical proficiency and just as much artistic infusion of dissident and chaotic noise. Chad Remains and Carson Russel are gods (maybe dark lords?) at what they do, and their playing styles complement each other so well. Yet from a fangirl perspective, I am incredibly amazed by drummer Brandon Walker, I found myself very drawn to his melodic and flawless performance on this album. His percussion choices really solidified my love for WOUND. Kudos to all of you, you dark masters of mayhem.

Ghorot, from left to right, Chad Remains, Brandon Walker, and Carson Russell

I think that you will find that WOUND is more of a full-body experience than just an aural one. It is quality music I could feel deep in my bones, which makes me feel it will be enjoyed by more than just fans of the genre and sweaty dude bros in patched-covered denim vests. All in all, Ghorot is a force to be reckoned with. Like a lucid nightmare, WOUND will banish you into another dimension, carry your body through its void with complex and heavy harmonies, and then cut you with poignant and well-timed silences. It has easily climbed into my favorite and most hardcore albums I’ve come across in many years, and after listening to Ghorot’s last album, Loss of Light, I can see how Ghorot has grown and challenged themselves creatively. Each song feels like a story with dynamic ebbs and flows, and though I can’t understand all of the growling and spine-tingling lyrics, I found WOUND to be incredibly empowering, especially my favorite track “Canyon Lands”. Once again, this transcendent and ambient doom music is coming on Friday, October 6th, and for our local B-Side readers you can catch their tour kickoff at Neurolux that very Saturday, October 7th.

Check out WOUND here and preorder your album.