ALBUM REVIEW: Pathogenic Automation – Gorgatron

Since forming in 2006 and adopting their moniker from the Aqua Teen Hunger Force character of the same name, GORGATRON have plugged away in the underground. The band have released two well-received records so far and now stand on the cusp of the release of their third album, Pathogenic Automation. Taking cues from both death and grindcore, the band craft a blend of groove and hefty riffs. Their approach to the new album was writing based on a ‘love of the riff’, rooted in old school death and thrash and it shows. Solid hooks collide with vocalist Karl Schmidt’s bowel-rattling roar atop precision blasts of drumming, forming something crushing but with undeniable groove.

Throughout its forty-one minute runtime, Pathogenic Automation draws from deathcore, death metal, grind and thrash with wild abandon. The band jump from furious blastbeats to slower moments without ever letting off on the aggression. Opener Atrophy is a microcosm of the album as a whole. It opens with rapid-fire snare fills before slowing to showcase Schmidt’s vocals, all the while underpinned by razor sharp riffs from guitarists Paul Johnson and Neal Stein.

There’s some solid ideas here such as the syncopated riff around three minutes into Reactor. It’s a great off-kilter moment that proves the band have some great tricks up their sleeve besides the standard chuggy riffing, blastbeats and monotonous gutturals. Schmidt’s higher pitched vocals in Insurmountable also provide a few more memorable moments but it’s sadly short-lived as he soon switches back to his usual growl. Its 4:30 runtime passes quickly and it’s due in no small part to these vocal changes and the sheer variety of riffs. Tremolo picking in Imposter Syndrome lends a blackened air to the song. It’s a welcome change of pace that helps break up the album, despite being the shortest track here. 

Modern death metal often employs a cleaner production as is the case here. The sound is crisp and instruments are clear. It suits GORGATRON well here, honing the band’s aural assault into a precise barrage of riffing and guttural vocals. Yet, Pathogenic Automation suffers from a lack of self-editing. The album is nine songs with only two clocking under the four-minute mark. Many rocket past five minutes, with closer Pierced From All Angles a tedious six and a half minutes long. Songs often feature repeated patterns that feel as if they are about to fade out but the song lurches on beyond this. It’s jarring and makes songs feel longer than they are. 

That said, GORGATRON‘s meat-and-potatoes approach to death metal, while not original, is not without merit. Songs like these live and die by the quality of their riffs and these are some prime rib riffs indeed. Tempos shift on a dime and riffs have room to breathe, swirling round one another without suffocating. Pathogenic Automation keeps things simple and is well-executed in spite of its flaws. The crisp production ensures the low end remains clear and unmuddied with even the bass remaining audible without sacrificing the higher pitches. Cymbal crashes cut with surgical precision, accenting songs without being overpowering. Overall this is a competent record; it breaks no new ground but brings to the table to satisfy the vast majority of death metal fans.

Rating: 6/10

Pathogenic Automation is set for release on August 28th via self-release. 

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