Gozu – VI

by Mark 'Yeti' Richard · Published June 10, 2026 · Updated June 10, 2026

Gozu is a heavy stoner rock/ metal band from Boston, Massachusetts. Their releases include: 2008’s Self Titled Demo, 2010’s Locust Season, 2013’s The Fury Of A Patient Man, 2016’s Revival, 2018’s Equilibrium, 2023’s Remedy (review here), and their latest, 2026’s VI. The band consists of Marc Gaffney on vocals and guitar, Doug Sherman on lead guitar, Seth Botos on drums, and Joe Grotto on bass. VI was released on May 15th 2026 on Metal Blade Records. It contains eight tracks at forty six minutes long.

“Corinthian Leatherface” begins with the guitar and then hammers in a heavy dose of riff rocking fury. Gozu is back and kicking ass! The fuzzy riffs and crushing rhythms have returned with Gaffney’s smooth, yet aggressive vocals backing things up. The vocal melodies are in full play corresponding to the eruption of bombastic tones and harmonies. “Corinthian Leatherface” is a killer opening track that welcomes Gozu back to their rightful place in the heavy underground world. Three years since their last album, the band sounds vibrant and viscous and ready to take over the world. “Midnight Express” doubles down on the slow and devastating doom, slugging out massive riffs with an unhurried execution. The background keys and creative vocal melodies strike a brutal composition of heavy metal mayhem with an original twist.

The third track entitled “Killer Khan”, pulverizes heavy rhythms into bouncy slabs of rocking rage. The band displays dense grooves with a raw immediacy. There is definitely a live feel with these songs and the production has a nice grittiness to it. The unpolished sound really suits these songs perfectly, even the slower tracks like “Corner Lariat”. Gaffney’s vocal melodies adjoin with the more subdued tones, enveloping a psychedelic texture to the music. VI sequences back and forth between slower and more soulful tracks to the metal ripping rock that Gozu are known for. “Banacek” pounds out the hardcore and metallic flow with hook-driven melodies and some old school metal guitar leads. The single was a great representation of where the band’s sound morphed into since their previous releases.

“They Did Know Karate” is another banger! Dense and thick riffs drenched in melody, the band really have those dynamics dialed in. I especially love the fuzzed-out devastating doom riffs coupled with the pounding drums, accentuating the brutality. The noise rocking guitar components spice up the song and layer over nicely with the heavy rhythmic beat down. “Gimme The Lute” picks things up and bulldozes along the riffs with confidence and conviction. The songs are between the four and seven minute mark, mostly settling around five or six minutes.

The eighth and final song on VI is called “Corvette Summer”. This rocking tune puts the exclamation point on this fantastic record. Combining all of their attributes, Gozu delivers a walloping sound of fuzz and frenzy entrenched in stoner doom and caustic metal leads that will rip through flesh. Gozu has gifted us with another masterful album that re-ignites the metallic vigilance of their debut, Locust Season. VI further escalates their sound into greater musical territory, bringing with it a new energy, initiative, and drive, that will further enhance their live show experience with a plethora of new material to dig into. Gozu has delivered another stoner metal masterpiece with VI and I can’t wait to hear some of these tracks performed live.