ALBUM REVIEW: Silhouettes Of Disgust – Downfall Of Gaia

Following up their last album – 2019’s ferocious Ethic Of Radical Finitude – was never going to be an easy task, but DOWNFALL OF GAIA prove themselves to be more than up to it with the just as ferocious follow up Silhouettes Of Disgust. It’s an album that demonstrates the sheer power of the band and their defiant and unrelentingly bleak mixture of crust punk, sludge and black metal.

It is that first style that shows up to dominate this new album as it sees DOWNFALL OF GAIA heading back to their crust punk roots primarily, although the other crucial elements still add something to the mix as well. And while things have definitely come full circle for the band, and even though they hark back to the sound they started out with, they are still forging ahead in a forward thinking manner. This is something DOWNFALL OF GAIA have always done, and in continuing to do so here they have produced their most diverse and atmospheric record to date.

Adding to this feeling of looking both back and forward is the return of to the fold of guitarist/vocalist – and importantly founding member – Peter Wolff, and the band all sound focussed as they storm through this record, not letting up their aural assault for even one second.

The songs on Silhouettes Of Disgust tell the stories of eight different residents of a fictional metropolis and tackle a variety of subjects through the music, and this gives the album a definite human and hopeful nature amongst the harshness and desolation of the music. Brilliant tracks such as the epic While Bloodsprings Become Rivers, Bodies As Driftwood and Eyes To The Burning Skies combine extreme soundscapes with melodic, atmospheric and industrial sounds to create a cinematic feeling that melds well with the rawness of the band’s music.

There is straight ahead heaviness in store too, such as in the brutal Final Vows that goes for the jugular and doesn’t let up from start to finish with a glacial venomous feel as Dominik Goncalves dos Reiss’ unforgiving vocals refuse to relent for a second. The closing track Optograms Of Disgust falls into this category as well and finishes the album on a high point with its sheer anger morphing into a triumphant audio blitzkrieg with sublime vocals courtesy of band collaborator Lulu Black, who also provides vocals elsewhere on the album.

Silhouettes Of Disgust is a powerful and cathartic album that demonstrates exactly why DOWNFALL OF GAIA are held in such high regard and shows that while they honour their roots superbly, they aren’t afraid to take risks with their music and the results speak for themselves.

Rating: 8/10

Silhouettes Of Disgust is set for release on March 17th via Metal Blade Records.

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