27th October 2022

Review: “Morbid Menagerie” by Gorotica

Jon Von Cannibale’s Michelin star restaurant “Morbid Menagerie” promises twenty two courses of Death Metal, Grindcore and Hardcore from the backwoods of Sydney in one easily digestible 39 minute extravaganza, an ode to death, decay and cannibalism. His brainchild has arisen from the grave in Gorotica, a three piece that sees him joined by the master of the electric string and distorted depravity Gaspard La Verge and percussive pestilence bringer Raymonde Peste to form a repulsive, perverted and cannibalistic troupe of questionable French origins. Together they have spent three years tirelessly toiling in a reclusive rehearsal space, separating the flesh from the bone to create something we can all enjoy…

The plague winds of the apocalypse are upon us as we stand at the gates of the Necropolis, listening to the sounds of Jon Von Cannibale’s vision manifested in Gorotica. Buzzsaw guitars influenced by the Swedish Death Metal scene accompanied by tremolo-picked leads and whirlwinds of blast beats form the backbone of the bands sound while his distasteful depictions are front loaded with a sense of tongue in cheek humour that makes you question if his horrific visions are real… each cut bringing forth a new horror, born of an obsession with gore and a blood lust hunger for violence and mutilation. However there is more to this obscenity than meets the eye as the crime scene is littered with clues and influences from other genres. There is American Groove Metal in cuts like “Fleshgrind“, which has some Lamb Of God flare to it, while “Corpsefucker” which features a guest vocal appearance from Tobias from Glass Ocean is a bludgeoning 30 seconds of Slam that isn’t for the faint of heart. Short and fast compositions are the order of the day but there are undoubted moments where cuts could continue for longer than they do without anyone coming to harm. “Graveyard Cannibalism” for example is 46 second burst of flame which could easily be stretched out (on a rack) and while it doesn’t feel cut short, you could happily listen to it three of four times on the spin.

The sense of fun in the album is the most unexpected part of it, with the swirling riffs of “Ocular Impalement” making for another short but razor sharp shock to the system after the patient talks of his obsession with collecting body parts as predecessor “The Endless Urge” plays out. Conceptually the album sticks to task incredibly well, the variety of dark arts on display owing a lot to the talents of the musicians as they reach each disturbing moment with a sense of glee. They’ve even managed to shoehorn in a Deathgrind anthem with a sing-a-long chorus in “Consuming The Flesh Of The Dead“, which may sound hilarious on paper but works incredibly well, as does the shotgun blast in “Purging The Apocalypse“. An album which quite literally has everything and the Kitchen sink, “Morbid Menagerie” is a neck snapping, beer swilling good time, the off kilter solo of the title track raising the hairs on the back of the neck. A gift that keeps giving in the all killer no filler sense, “Obsession With Mutilation” even has a Progressive Technical Death Metal bridge which would find bands like Allegaeon turning their heads. As if that wasn’t enough, the Gorotica also submit evidence that they can do creepy haunting atmospheres with the introduction to “Bound To The Breaking Wheel“, the frantic solo and percussive battery in the centre making for something you can throw your friends around in the mosh pit to… [8/10]

Track Listing

1. At The Gates Of The Necropolis
2. Fleshgrind
3. Born Unto Death
4. Teeth Removed With A Sledgehammer (ft. Miller from Black Rheno)
5. The Necrophile
6. Malevolent Insertion
7. Corpsefucker (ft. Tobias from Glass Ocean)
8. Left To Bleed
9. Knife Wound Gratification
10. Graveyard Cannibal
11. Execution By Fire
12. The Endless Urge
13. Ocular Impalement
14. Human Skin Drapery
15. Consuming The Flesh Of The Dead
16. Forced Cluster Headache
17. Purging The Apocalypse
18. Morbid Menagerie
19. Severed Head Pincushion (ft. Miller from Black Rheno)
20. Obsession With Mutilation
21. Desecrating The Remains Of A Virgin
22. Bound To The Breaking Wheel