Seoul, South Korea’s Gonguri mix it up with fellow doom bastards Sithter for a split CD that will annihilate the uninitiated. Gonguri sounds similar to death/doom stalwarts Coffins. Sithter brings noise and punk with their brand of doom, and both bands destroy without impunity on this release. Gonguri brings a little groove, with guitars so downtuned, every riff sounds like it’s a power chord with the root note on the sixth string. In fact, it sounds somewhat like buzzsaw effects, although the chords are actually more fuzzy. There’s tons of reverb to shake the walls bare of hanging pictures and shelves. Gonguri is a promising band, with only an EP to their credit prior to the release of this split with Sithter.
Sithter plays a hybrid form of doom and noise, with strange vocals to accompany the psychedelic riffs. Sithter, more than Gonguri, offers more experimentation, with chaotic song arrangements and punk screaming. Gonguri’s vocals sound like death metal gurgles, certainly on the lower registers, never quite screaming or screeching. If you like Coffins, Gonguri brings it to mainstream music like an iceberg to an unsuspecting Titanic.
Sithter varies the riffs much more than Gonguri does, but their guitar tone is mostly fuzzy. The riffs reverb after almost miniscule downpicks and uppicks to the strings. Sithter’s side of the split is considerably more primitive than Gonguri’s side. For which band plays heavier, Gonguri’s guitar wins the battle of the bands, but Sithter does offer more in-your-face punked doom psychedelia in contrast.
Sithter slithers to the groove of a serpent crawling on a sandy desert. Gonguri offers more conventional groove, also reminding me of death/doom veterans Ilsa. Sithter reminds me somewhat of fave band Legion of Andromeda, slowed down to the pace of a swinging pendulum. Both bands offer something different. Both bands rock. For death/doom lovers that want an existential freak-out, get this CD and play it at full blast round the clock.
