The original lineup of the band featured Luc Lemay (guitar/vocals), Sylvain Marcoux (guitar), Eric Giguere (bass) and Stephane Provencher (drums) in Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada. They recorded a demo in 1990 entitled ...and Then Comes Lividity, and then in 1991 released Considered Dead on Roadrunner, their first full-length album. The release featured a guest guitar solo by James Murphy and guest vocals by Chris Barnes. Two years later in 1993, they released their second full-length, entitled The Erosion of Sanity. Similar in style to their debut, this album had showed Gorguts had indeed developed in musicianship. However, this album was overlooked and became an unheard classic for many years.
The band fell silent for five years. Many assumed Gorguts was no more, until 1998 when Luc Lemay unveiled a new lineup and unleashed a classic in avant-garde death metal, Obscura, which many will agree is the most technical, chaotic and downright lucid metal album ever recorded. Filled with irregular beats, discordant riffing, and complex song arrangements, Obscura turned out to be either indigestible by many, or seen for its true beauty by few. Three years later, Gorguts returned once again with From Wisdom to Hate. Some consider this release to be a digression from Obscura, but it was still much in the same avant-garde/technical vein. Dan Mongrain of Martyr was recruited for the second guitarist on this album, contributing to the writing process and lead guitar work as well.
After being out of print for many years, Roadrunner Records re-released their first two albums on a single disc, and Galy Record re-released their 1990 demo along with many other demo tracks throughout the years. In October 2002, drummer Steve MacDonald hanged himself after suffering from years of depression. The band split up in 2005 and reformed in 2008.
As of December 2008, a demo track of Gorguts featuring guitar and programmed drums which was previously unheard by the public surfaced online, and Lemay himself confirmed an upcoming reunion featuring Colin Marston, Kevin Hufnagel and John Longstreth. While the new Gorguts has been performing live and writing new material, Lemay stated that the band would not be entering the studio until the "late fall" of 2010.
The band is currently signed to Season of Mist. The band's fifth album, Colored Sands, was released on August 30, 2013, although it was released digitally a month earlier after a leak of the material online. A concept album about the history of Tibet, Colored Sands was rapturously received in many publications and appeared in many year-end best-of lists. The band cited Porcupine Tree and Opeth as influences on the album's lengthier compositions, as well as Dmitri Shostakovich and Krzysztof Penderecki on its neoclassical string interlude "The Battle of Chamdo".
In 2014, John Longstreth, whose schedule with Origin was incompatible with Gorguts, departed the band. His replacement, Patrice Hamelin, had already been performing live with Gorguts since 2011. In 2015, Obscura, which had been out of print on CD for decades, was re-released by both Century Media and Season of Mist. It also received a new vinyl pressing from Season of Mist (it had previously been released on vinyl by War on Music). Century Media also reissued From Wisdom to Hate (also previously released on vinyl by War on Music) on vinyl. A two-CD set of both albums was issued by Mazzar Records in 2016.
The band's first EP, Pleiades' Dust, was officially released on May 13, 2016. A concept album about the House of Wisdom in Baghdad during Europe's Dark Ages, it consists of a single track divided into seven movements. The band cited Deathspell Omega as a musical influence this time around. Reception thus far has been almost unanimously positive.
Faceless Ones
Gorguts Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I cross the threshold of the faceless ones
Lost in the twilight, confinement in emptiness
The granted flesh abandoned
I shall reborn as a faceless one
Darkly, splendid world, confinement in rapture
Unbearable pain I share
Timeless life They share
A rebirth through demise
Fearless to the grave
It brought me to a new level
Instead of crying the dead
I see further in the cyclone's eye
Lost in the twilight
Confinement in emptiness
The granted land forsaken
I cross the threshold of the faceless ones
Darkly, splendid world
Confinement in rapture
The granted flesh abandoned
I shall reborn as a faceless one
In the song "Faceless Ones" by Gorguts, the lyrics describe a transformation from mortal to immortal. The singer of the song has abandoned their old life and willingly crosses the threshold to become one of the "faceless ones." This new existence is described as a "splendid world" and "confinement in rapture," but it comes at a cost. The character experiences "unbearable pain" and must reject their "carnal past" to fully embrace their new life.
As the song progresses, it becomes clear that this transformation involves not only physical change but also a shift in perception. The character becomes "fearless to the grave" and gains a new perspective on death. Instead of mourning the dead, they see beyond the surface and look "further in the cyclone's eye." The song ends with a repetition of the opening lines, emphasizing the cyclical nature of this rebirth process.
Overall, "Faceless Ones" explores themes of transformation, sacrifice, and acceptance of mortality. The lyrics are metaphorical and abstract, leaving room for individual interpretation and reflection.
Line by Line Meaning
The granted land forsaken,
I have left behind the land that was given to me.
I cross the threshold of the faceless ones
I am entering a realm of beings without faces.
Lost in the twilight, confinement in emptiness
I am trapped in a state of emptiness and confusion.
The granted flesh abandoned
I am leaving behind the flesh that was given to me.
I shall reborn as a faceless one
I will be reborn as a being without a face.
Darkly, splendid world, confinement in rapture
I am in a dark and exquisite world, trapped in a state of ecstasy.
Unbearable pain I share
I am experiencing unbearable pain, and I share it with others.
My carnal past I deny
I reject my physical desires and actions from my past.
Timeless life They share
The faceless ones share a timeless existence.
A rebirth through demise
I will experience a rebirth after my death.
Fearless to the grave
I am unafraid of death.
It brought me to a new level
Death has led me to a higher state of being.
Instead of crying the dead
I am not mourning the dead.
I see further in the cyclone's eye
I am able to see more deeply into the chaos of the world.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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