On disc: Gurd

 
 D-Fect
 
- Volker Raabe -
 
 


 
 Encounter
 
- Claudia Ehrhardt -
 
 


 
 Your Drug Of Choice
 
- Claudia Ehrhardt -
 
 

Your Drug Of Choice

(LC Records - 2009)



 
 

 

The Swiss band Gurd started back in 1994, arose from the ashes of Poltergeist. In 1995 they released their self-titled debut and the rest is history - so to speak.

With Your Drug Of Choice they present their 8th album - not counting the Remixes and the live album - and they show that they are still alive and kicking.

With fast, heavy riffing they start off and into the album with the title track Your Drug Of Choice. The song is a modern thrash tune with some dashes of hardcore. Beside all the heaviness and aggression the track has a catchy edge. Good opener! Seven Starz kicks off with a heavy groove and monolithic riffs, first slowly, but later in the song they speed up and present a fast thrash tune. Btw, the song features Destruction's Schmier. And after a cool solo part and another thrash attack they slow down... Back to a Crowbar-ish sound. With heavy riffs, but faster then the previous Seven Starz they head into Once For All. Partly they leave the heavy riffs behind and add fat, melodic leads to the groove. Vocally V.O. switches between deep, raspy vocals and growls, but somehow the song is hooking you up. I don't know what Colony Collapse Disorder reminds me off, but it doesn't matter, coz the heavy groove combined with great guitar play is sneaking into your brain - and stays! This song will haunt you! Riff-based is Beneath The Sea which is a fast straight-forward rocker. The thrashy roots are more obvious here, but again they use speed changes. I would describe Nothing To Loose as Prong meets Crowbar with a dash of Clawfinger... Some vocal parts remind me of Clawfinger... But it's not crossover! With a short spoken words part they lead into the thrashy Refused. A thrashy power metal tune which live will be killer with it's sharp riffs and fast drumming - a neck breaker! They combine heaviness and melody, groove and riffs - and create some quite catchy heavy tunes. The last track is a cover version and the Swiss choose Cold Gin from Kiss which sounds ultra heavy and vocally more raspy. Cool!

To get an idea about Your Drug Of Choice you can check out any 2 songs - beside the cover version. Well done!
 
 










Claudia Ehrhardt


  
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Encounter

(Diehard Music - 2003)



 
 

 

The Swiss band Gurd is now presenting their 6th album which is called Encounter. Musically the successor of Poltergeist offers thrash / groove metal which the opening track Razorblade shows. On Encounter the band presents 13 songs and as a bonus a multi-media section with video and karaoke (check out!)...

The four-some combine the heavy, grooving sounds with critical, partly cynical lyrics. May Day is a catchy heavy grooving rocker who you'll probably hear soon in some metal discos!

On A New War the band of singer / guitarist V.O. deals with the terroristic attacks of 9-11 and the following Afghanistan war. And the interests of George W. Bush Jr.

Golden Age of the Bedlam album is now continued with Club Of Lies.

Older But Wiser is a heavy rocker with heavy guitar riffing and intense vocals... Remind me of something else, but I really can't tell... Well, a more then decent album. Seems that it was a good decision of Gurd to produce the album on their own and to work at their own studio to have time and freedom to check out things and to try new ones. Well done!
 
 










Claudia Ehrhardt


  
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D-Fect

(Century Media - 1997)



 
 

 

"This drug will make you addicted!" the information sheet for Gurd's new album D-Fect says. I can't take this seriously and that didn't changed after listening to D-Fect. Crossover, hip hop metal and alternative grunge isn't my favorite genre. The Swiss got good critics for their self-titled debut and the following Addicted and I have to confess that they have potential and enjoy playing - it was the same with Poltergeist - and D-Fect is tight and powerful. The song structure is simple to get, but the vocals and the musically style is just awful and annoying!
 
 










Volker Raabe


  
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