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Album Review – Gutvoid / Breathing Obelisk EP (2024)

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One of the best still-young Death Metal entities from Canada challenges you to stand before their Breathing Obelisk.

Since their formation in 2019, the ascent of Toronto, Canada’s Death Metal entity Gutvoid has been nothing if not meteoric. From their 2019 debut EP Astral Bestiary to their 2022 full-length opus Durance of Lightless Horizons, the band churned forth a world-eating metal of death that duly devoured the listener whole. Currently formed of Brendan Dean on vocals and guitars, Daniel Bonofiglio also on the guitars, Justin Boehm on bass, and D.W. Lee on drums, the band is unleashing upon us their brand new 31-minute EP Breathing Obelisk, a grim and visceral creature embraced by the otherworldly artwork by Marcio Blasphemator that will surely cement their status as one of the best still-young Death Metal entities around.

Those four demented metallers transport us to their Stygian realm with their minimalist notes in Swamp Consumed, gradually evolving into a darkened Death Metal entity to the visceral roars by Brendan and the hammering drums by D.W. Lee, presenting elements from Doom Metal and Blackened Doom embedded in their core (and evil) essence, whereas For We Are Many, the first single of the album (which they played live with Tomb Mold and Horrendous in Toronto), is a lecture in Progressive Death Metal sounding dissonant, intricate and disturbing, with Brendan and Daniel making an amazing guitar duo while Justin supports them with his menacing bass (not to mention it’s easy to sense elements from Brendan’s Fathomless Ritual in the riffs). Let’s then embark on one more cryptic, grim voyage together with Gutvoid in When The Living Dome Opens, again presenting their trademark vociferations, low-tuned, groovy bass lines and pounding drums, sounding dark and evil until the very end; and the last song of the EP, entitled Shodar, offers us all seven minutes of solid, melodic and visceral Death Metal led by the strident riffs by Brendan and Daniel, an awesome headbanging feast by the quartet where Brendan continues to deeply gnarl like a demonic entity.

After all is said and done, Gutvoid challenge you to stand before their Breathing Obelisk, and you can do that by following them on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube, by listening to their wicked music on Spotify, and by purchasing a copy of their new EP from Blood Harvest’s BandCamp page or webstore as a CD, a MLP or a cassette. In other words, do you think you have what it takes to face Gutvoid’s menacing and caustic Breathing Obelisk?

Best moments of the album: For We Are Many and Shodar.

Worst moments of the album: None.

Released in 2024 Blood Harvest

Track listing
1. Swamp Consumed 9:50
2. For We Are Many 5:51
3. When The Living Dome Opens 7:20
4. Shodar 7:03

Band members
Brendan Dean – vocals, guitars
Daniel Bonofiglio – guitars
Justin Boehm – bass
D.W. Lee – drums

Concert Review – Tomb Mold & Horrendous (Lee’s Palace, Toronto, ON, 07/04/2024)

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Lots of metalheads answered a call from the underground Thursday night in Toronto in a feast of first-class Death Metal by two of the best bands of the current scene.

OPENING ACT: Gutvoid

While all major rock and metal bands are playing at the biggest summer festivals in Europe like Hellfest, Graspop Metal Meeting and Wacken Open Air, there’s nothing better than a huge dosage of underground extreme music to keep us Torontonians entertained before those bands get back to the city, which is exactly what happened Thursday night at Lee’s Palace when GUTVOID, HORRENDOUS and TOMB MOLD kicked off their insane Enraptured By Fate’s Tangled Thread Tour 2024 with an overdose of technical, progressive and insane Death Metal for our total delight. Keith Ibbitson of Metal Paparazzi and I were there to enjoy such an amazing night of Death Metal at an almost sold out Lee’s Palace, with the hot and humid weather only making things even more incendiary inside the venue.

The first band to hit the stage was Toronto’s own Death Metal brigade GUTVOID, and those guys didn’t disappoint at all; quite the contrary, the band formed of Brendan Dean on vocals and guitars, Daniel Bonofiglio also on the guitars, D.W. Lee on drums, and guest bassist Spinny Guilbault kicked some serious ass with their exciting performance, playing songs from their 2022 album Durance of Lightless Horizons (also available on Spotify) plus a new song titled For We Are Many, from their upcoming EP Breathing Obelisk (which will surely be reviewed at The Headbanging Moose), properly warming up all the fans for the upcoming main attractions of the night. After their show I had a chance to briefly chat with Brendan, saying how much I enjoyed the debut album by his solo project Fathomless Ritual, and with Spinny, who told me he barely had any time to rehearse the songs with the band, although at least for me he sounded like he’s always been part of Gutvoid. He’s such a cool and talented guy, and I’m surely going to check his other bands Sentiment Dissolve, Goreworm and Kavara (and you should do the same, of course).

Band members
Brendan Dean – vocals, guitars
Daniel Bonofiglio – guitars
Spinny Guilbault – bass
D.W. Lee – drums 

HORRENDOUS

After a short and sweet break, when most people were either in line to grab some merch or buy a beer, or outside the venue trying to breathe some (inexistent) fresh air, Philadelphia’s most demented Progressive Death Metal horde, the unstoppable HORRENDOUS, brought to the stage the insanity from their excellent 2023 opus Ontological Mysterium, with Damian Herring, Matt Knox, Alex Kulick and Jamie Knox proving why they’re a force to be reckoned with, delivering sheer madness, heaviness and violence through their amazing music. Alternating between complex, experimental passages and pure Death Metal violence, which of course inspired everyone to slam into a wild circle pit, they put on a tremendous show for admirers of the genre, leaving us eager for more Horrendous in Toronto in a not-so-distant future. All of their first-class albums are available on BandCamp and on Spotify, and I’m sure you’ll get addicted to their music from the very first second. As you can see, Horrendous were so good, but so good, that I’m not even considering them as an opening act, but as a co-headliner, and if I were you I wouldn’t miss the chance to see them live on this tour.

Band members
Damian Herring – guitars, vocals
Matt Knox – guitars, vocals
Alex Kulick – bass
Jamie Knox – drums

TOMB MOLD

Four guys wearing shorts and colorful shirts instead of leather and spikes, none with long hair, nor any Death Metal paraphernalia onstage. That, ladies and gentlemen, is one of Toronto’s most hardworking and thrilling metal acts of the current scene, the ruthless Progressive Death Metal entity TOMB MOLD, and their show might have been one of the sickest gigs of the year thanks to the undeniable talent and onstage performance by Max Klebanoff, Derrick Vella, Payson Power and Kevin Sia. Still promoting their 2023 beast The Enduring Spirit, the quartet was flawless during their entire set, again igniting some insane mosh pits that ended up driving the already high temperatures in the city even higher. I honestly have no idea of the names of the songs they played last night, but I can assure you all of them were fantastic (and all are available on Spotify, by the way), so if you have a chance to join them on this tour, simply go for it because you’ll have an absolute blast to the sound of their top-of-the-line Death Metal. Just don’t forget to be in good shape and do lots of cardio, because you’ll get caught in some intense circle pits, no doubt about that.

Band members
Max Klebanoff – vocals, drums
Derrick Vella – guitars
Payson Power – guitars
Kevin Sia – bass

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