Gurut is a one man black metal project from Montana. The project started up in 2009 and there has been a slew of demos recorded since then. Major signs of improvement have occurred since the past releases and it is very noticeable in the structures/overall sound of the tracks featured here. Gurut finally has managed to capture a solid atmosphere without sacrificing any of the songwriting and the results are excellent.
The demo opens with the beautiful instrumental "Every Broken Promise". The music truly speaks for itself and sucks you in fully from the very beginning. It is very depressing but somehow uplifting at the same time. This clean side of Gurut hasn't shown too often in the past but when it is wonderful things happen. Luckily this release dives a little deeper into the more melodic clean passages that make Gurut so appealing. Some of the clean elements in "Every Broken Promise" make a return at the end of the track "I've Failed You", and to top it off the closer "Home..." is also an acoustic instrumental. During the acoustic section on "Mere Belief" insanely loud and aggressive drums come in randomly and it clashes big time with the calm atmosphere. Somehow it works out well though and actually managed to get the heart racing.
The guitar playing is one thing that really makes Gurut an interesting listen. While the music is mainly black metal there is a ton of soloing throughout. This gives some of the tracks an almost upbeat feeling. These solos can get a tad sloppy at times but it tends to fit perfectly with the raw sound that Gurut produces. Mixing is a little odd on some tracks. The drums are very overpowering for the most part, sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't, but it never detracts too much from the music. The vocals are drenched in distortion and end up sounding similar to Megiddo in many ways. There is little to no variation in vocal style but the vocals pretty much fall to the wayside since most of your attention is focused on the interesting fretwork and atmosphere.
Overall Gurut has improved quite a bit with this release. The songwriting has matured plenty and it just seems like everything that needed work before has been revamped. There is a solid mixture of acoustic and black metal passages heard here and it balances out well. This is definitely the best Gurut release yet and it is also the best starting point for those looking to get into the band. Any fans of black metal that aren't afraid to get melodic at times should give this one a shot. This release is packed full of emotion and the music truly does all the talking.
Amazing review, man! Thank you so much for the kind words. The release should be on tape relatively soon.
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