This repulsive, perverted and cannibalistic Australian-based troupe of questionable French origins offers in their debut opus a fulminating 22-song platter of Death Metal and Grindcore.

Shambling out from the dead blackened underbrush of Sydney, Australia’s backwoods comes a repulsive, perverted and cannibalistic troupe of questionable French origins, collectively known as Grindcore act Gorotica. Living as a reclusive hive for the past three years, the troglodytic trio formed of Jon Von Cannibale on vocals, Gaspard La Verge on the guitars and bass, and Raymonde Peste on drums have been honing their rusted blades and musical skills to now emerge under the Gorotica moniker and bring forth to the public their mission of death and cannibalism in auditory form, or in other words, their debut full-length album Morbid Menagerie. The album offers a 22-song platter of Death Metal and Grindcore with elements of Hardcore garnishing the meat and bones of the music, and with several guests lending their pipes to the chaos, most notably the talented Miller from Sydney grind stalwarts Black Rheno and Tobias from the well-known prog outfit Glass Ocean, presenting it as a highly recommended option for admirers of the goriest side of metal music.

Get ready for a pulverizing Grindcore feast titled At The Gates Of The Necropolis, the perfect welcome card by the band where Jon is bestial on vocals; whereas Gaspard’s metallic riffs and rumbling bass lines are accompanied by the classic drums by Raymonde in Fleshgrind, offering us all two minutes of savagery and heaviness. Born Unto Death is another brutal, venomous onrush by the trio, with Gaspard delivering sheer adrenaline through his Hardcore-infused riffs, not to mention the monstrous roars by Jon, while Teeth Removed With A Sledgehammer brings forward 33 seconds of pure dementia, speed and violence where Jon gets the help from Miller on vocals. Less aggressive and exhaling groove, it’s time for Raymonde to take the lead with his rhythmic beats and fills in The Necrophile, and back to their more infernal mode, Jon growls nonstop accompanied by the insane blast beats by Raymonde in Malevolent Insertion. Guest Tobias lends his demented, deep roars to the band in Corpsefucker, followed by Left To Bleed, starting with the low-tuned bass punches by Gaspard and evolving into a Grindcore extravaganza perfect for slamming into the circle pit. Things get even sharper and more thrilling in Knife Wound Gratification, with Gaspard stealing the spotlight with a maniacal string work while also presenting some welcome breaks and variations. In Graveyard Cannibal it becomes clear that they’re definitely a band that mastered the art of crafting sick tunes that last for less than a minute, and needless to say, Jon is insane on vocals, followed by Execution By Fire, slightly more melodic than its predecessors and sounding confusing at times.

One of the heaviest songs of the album, The Endless Urge, is Grindcore at its finest with all band members being on absolute fire until the very last second, while Ocular Impalement offers our ears one more round of dementia and gore in less than a minute; and their Doom Metal vein arises in Human Skin Drapery, a neck-breaking tune led by the sluggish and pounding drums by Raymonde. It’s time to slam into the pit one more time to the sound of Consuming The Flesh Of The Dead, with Jon bringing forth his trademark deep gnarls, followed by 12 seconds of pure insanity entitled Forced Cluster Headache, working as a “warmup” for Purging The Apocalypse, a fantastic, fast and furious Grindcore attack thanks to the superb job done by Raymonde on drums. The title-track Morbid Menagerie continues to smash everyone that crosses their path to pieces, not to mention guitars and bass by Gaspar couldn’t have sounded more metallic. Then guess what? We’re treated to 44 seconds of pure violence in Severed Head Pincushion, flowing into the dark and sinister Obsession With Mutilation, a good option to headbang in the name of Grindcore and Death Metal. And how about a minute of undisputed aggressiveness as their second to last breath of classic Grindcore? That’s what you’ll get in Desecrating The Remains Of A Virgin, before Bound To The Breaking Wheel closes the album exactly like it should, with no shenanigans, no artificial elements, just plain Grindcore by such skillful and enraged trio.

As already mentioned, Morbid Menagerie is indeed a demented platter of Death Metal and Grindcore by those three mysterious marauders that form the uncanny Gorotica, and you can already preorder such disturbing album from their own BandCamp page, and soon also stream it in full on Spotify. You can also start following Gorotica on Facebook and on Instagram for an overdose of gore and death on your daily routine, making your life a lot more fun to the sound of their bloodcurdling creations. In the end, it doesn’t really matter if the band members are French or Australian because the music found in Morbid Menagerie is awesome, showing the trio knows exactly what they’re doing and, consequently, offering us all another great option for enjoying some carnage inside the circle pit.

Best moments of the album: Fleshgrind, Born Unto Death, Knife Wound Gratification, The Endless Urge and Purging The Apocalypse.

Worst moments of the album: The Necrophile and Execution By Fire.

Released in 2022 Independent

Track listing
1. At The Gates Of The Necropolis 1:49
2. Fleshgrind 2:03
3. Born Unto Death 3:10
4. Teeth Removed With A Sledgehammer 0:33
5. The Necrophile 2:25
6. Malevolent Insertion 1:47
7. Corpsefucker 0:31
8. Left To Bleed 2:34
9. Knife Wound Gratification 2:08
10. Graveyard Cannibal 0:47
11. Execution By Fire 2:03
12. The Endless Urge 2:17
13. Ocular Impalement 0:44
14. Human Skin Drapery 3:09
15. Consuming The Flesh Of The Dead 1:39
16. Forced Cluster Headache 0:12
17. Purging The Apocalypse 1:11
18. Morbid Menagerie 2:13
19. Severed Head Pincushion 0:44
20. Obsession With Mutilation 1:55
21. Desecrating The Remains Of A Virgin 0:58
22. Bound To The Breaking Wheel 3:50

Band members
Jon Von Cannibale – vocals
Gaspard La Verge – guitars, bass
Raymonde Peste – drums

Guest musicians
Jean-Paul Lattouf – percussion
Miller – additional vocals on “Teeth Removed With A Sledgehammer” and “Severed Head Pincushion”
Tobias – additional vocals on “Corpsefucker”
Rasmus & Gaspard – additional vocals