Gozer – The Path Always Leads To The End (EP)
Release Date: 3rd November 2023
Label: Self Released
Bandcamp
Genre: Sludge, Post-Metal, Shoegaze.
FFO: Cult Of Luna, Still, Bossk.
Review By: Ross Bowie
Gozer follow up their debut album An Endless Static with their new EP The Path Always Leads To The End which, in classic sludge fashion, is only one track shorter than their album. Gozer have expanded on their sound from last year’s release and continue to blend beauty with a horrifying atmosphere and a huge slab of sludge for good measure.
The Path Always Leads To The End is comprised of 4 tracks, 1 intro track leading you in with pads and synths building tension before Celestial River takes over. While being the first proper song on the EP, it continues to build on the track before, with the bass adding all the melody. The track continues to build before the vocals come roaring in. There is no messing around with the vocal lines, as they are abrasive and aggressive right out the gate, further adding to the tension the band have been building. This is followed up by Gone Away, which is sits somewhere between a full song and an interlude, but accidentally turns into the highlight of the 4 tracks. The synth intro creates such a vivid atmosphere that it sounds like you’ve been transported right into an 80s slasher film. This area is where Gozer are at their best, making you feel uncomfortable in your own skin and constantly keeping you on edge waiting for that tension to break. The clean vocal refrain on “Gone Away” repeating soaked in reverb feels like it’s crawling over your skin and adds an unsettling and devious feeling to the song.
The River Meets The Ocean is similar in structure to Celestial River in that it has a patient build before the full band coming in and setting off together. However, this is the only time the clean vocals really let the hand break off. Hopefully this is something the band experiment with more going forward as they keep up the tension the build spends so long building, this is aided by the synth and strings working in tandem to create more unsettling textures played off against an acoustic guitar.
The EP is really comprised of 2 main songs, but Gozer seem to be a band who know what their lane is and are showing steady signs of growth and a wealth of ideas they can experiment on and expand moving forward. 
(3 / 5)
