Gozu – Remedy

by Mark 'Yeti' Richard · Published August 26, 2024 · Updated August 26, 2024

Boston, Massachusetts based band Gozu formed in 2009. Playing a heavy riff rock and stoner metal style of music, the band has made a big impact in the underground rock and metal scene. Their debut album Locust Season, which was released on Small Stone Records in 2010, turned a lot of heads. The follow up record, 2013’s The Fury Of A Patient Man, expanded on their sound and introduced some QOTSA styles of rock melodies and some radio friendly sounds to their repertoire. The band kept expanding on their song writing and released their third record Revival, on Ripple Music in 2016. Two years later the band signed to old school heavyweights, Metal Blade Records and released Equilibrium in 2018. The current lineup of Gozu is: Marc Gaffney – Vocals & Guitar, Doug Sherman – Lead Guitar, Seth Botos – Drums, and Joe Grotto – Bass. The band released their latest record entitled Remedy on March 22, 2023. The record features nine songs and runs around 49 minutes.

“Tom Cruise Control” opens the record with big and heavy metal riffing and sludgy rhythms. Mark Gaffney’s vocals are very powerful. The band really applied the heavy metal ripping beat down on this one. The crisp sound quality and production on Remedy are pulverizing! “ClDz” brutalizes with heavy and monstrous riffs and thunderous drums. Gaffney’s melodic vocals mixed with his more aggressive delivery are trademark Gozu. Doug Sherman rips into a nice lead on this one too. The mid point of the song around the 3:43 mark displays some crushing accents. The guitar riff with the pounding drum build ups are awesome. The gospel like vocals on this part adds a nice element to the song also. “Rambo 2” is a slab of metal goodness through and through. Some faster riffing blended in with heavier chugs with more unique vocal melodies mixed in. Gozu has that nice blend of rock grooving executed with chugging metal rhythms like on “Joe Don Baker” and “ Pillow Talk.” The background and singing vocals add such a cool dynamic to the heavy music. The guitar shredding solos are a great touch as well.

Gozu play around with fun song titles and will reference 70’s or 80’s icons like professional wrestling great “The Magnificent Muraco” or the intense actor/director in “Ben Gazzara Loves No One.” I like that the band doesn’t take everything so seriously and has fun in the process.

The song “Ash” explores the band’s dynamics from soft to heavy. Gozu then trudge into the final track, the nine minute closer, “The Handler.” A slow and doomy sludge of molasses riffing with some angelic vocals from Gaff. Overall, Remedy is a great record! Gozu continues to drive their blend of heavy stoner metal to new highways of creativity. The vocal melodies are what distinguishes this band from other run of the mill artists. They manage to propel their rocking grooves into a heavy metal frenzy with a pop sensibility somewhere underneath it all.