New York City is always gonna New York City, man. Tons of bands and artists use the iconic skyline as the backdrop for their music, and many choose to shed light on more than just the charming coffee shops and swanky department stores, but none quite capture the horror, fear and grotesque nature of the seedy, filth-ridden side streets like Gravesend. 2021’s Methods of Human Disposal marked them as the primary purveyors of pestilence vis-a-vis The Big Apple, but Gowanus Death Stomp is where they really set out to prove that they are no sophomore slumps.

I don’t really think Gravesend need to do anything to move the needle of the state of metal on Gowanus Death Stomp. They do what they do, and they are moved to capture the “sewage, crack smoke and the trade of flesh” that is just as much a part of New York City as bodegas, taxis and pizza rats. Naturally, this means that the riffs are goddamn filthy, and here is where Gravesend ride out very naturally the high they achieved on Methods of Human Disposal. Blending black, death, war metal and grindcore, the trio of A, S and G rip their way through sixteen tracks of furious, brutal and downright disgusting violence. When I reviewed Methods of Human Disposal, my biggest compliment for the album was that everything was in the right proportions, and that remains true on Gowanus Death Stomp. Of course, blast beats and fast chugging are most of the norm here, but the way Gravesend is able to stop and turn on a dime to switch over to stompy, midtempo romps through old-school black metal and war metal serves to help break up the album into manageable pieces. Although, you know, the longest song on Gowanus by far is still only three minutes, so do you really have to break it down further than that?

One quite important aspect of the sound of Gowanus Death Stomp that can’t be overlooked is the production by Arthur Rizk, the mastermind at the helm of many a 20 Buck Spin joint, not the least of which is The Enduring Spirit, an album that we recently raved about. Obviously, Gowanus is going to be a much more dirty affair than the new Tomb Mold or the Dream Unending/Worm split, but the style of production and the mixing match the vibes of Gravesend perfectly. The guitars are razor sharp like barbed wire, the drums pop but don’t overpower anything, the bass tone is outrageously grimy, but the vocals are what shines to me the most. Soaked in reverb, fuzzy around the edges and high and bright in the mix, they cut through like a pocket knife through a silk shirt and set the tone for the rest of the sounds on the palette. And what sounds there are. From the mosh-pit-ready riffs of “11414” to the stompy, pounding thrash of the title track to the sludgefest of “Crown of Tar” and beyond, Gowanus Death Stomp brings the pain. The only thing that I would say is missing from this is the synth breaks that were featured on Methods of Human Disposal. I really liked those, and they added a unique element that I think is underutilized on Gowanus. Not entirely gone, but I wish there were more of them because they’re so enjoyable and different. Still, I can’t really complain all that much: this is a beast of a release from a label that knows death metal.

No, you’re not getting elaborate fretless bass solos or clean jazz breaks or prog moments or any of the other curveballs 20 Buck Spin has been throwing out lately.  Gowanus Death Stomp kinda provides exactly what’s advertised.  It’s meat and potatoes heavy metal that knows what it’s about and executes it to a high degree.  You’re certainly not gonna “fuhggedaboudit”!  Eh?  Yeah…I hate me too.

— Ian

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Gowanus Death Stomp is available now on 20 Buck Spin. For more information on Gravesend, visit their Facebook page.