UMUR "The Erosion of Sanity" is the 2nd full-length studio album by Canadian death metal act Gorguts. The album was released through Roadrunner Records in January 1993. The original album release features 8 tracks while the 2006 Metal Mind Productions digipack re-release (limited to 2000 copies) features 2 additional bonus tracks. "The Erosion of Sanity" was also re-released in 2004 by Roadrunner Records along with Gorguts first album "Considered Dead (1991)" on one CD. The lineup who recorded the debut album are the same who recorded "The Erosion of Sanity".

Stylistically the music on "The Erosion of Sanity" more or less continues down the US influenced technical death metal path that Considered Dead (1991) also tread. The performances are just tighter, the technicial level of playing is higher, and the compositions a bit more innovative. The influence from especially "Spiritual Healing (1990)"/"Human (1991)"-era Death is still pretty dominant, but Gorguts started the journey towards their own sound on this album, and you can hear signs of things to come throughout the album in the dissonant riffs (which they would make a trademark on "Obscura (1998)"), and intriguing rhythmic playing. Alledgedly bandleader/main composer/vocalist/guitarist Luc Lemay sat in on the sessions for "Effigy of the Forgotten (1991)" by Suffocation and found the experience greatly inspirational. So while "The Erosion of Sanity" is definitely not a clone of Suffocation, the complexity of the compositions and the technical playing on the album do take some clues from the New York band.

While the pace is generally a bit higher on "The Erosion of Sanity" compared to the debut the tempos are still predominantly mid- to fast paced. A few more blastbeat sections have sneaked into the music, but that´s about it. The material is pretty consistent in style and in quality, but it´s not exactly hook laden music, and the album lacks memorable moments, which makes it a bit of a monotone and one-dimensional listen. Something which is further helped along by the monotone growling vocals. Luc Lemay has a higher pitched and snarling growling delivery (Chuck Schuldiner is the closest reference) compared to the deeper growling vocals of many of his contemporaries, but somehow the aggression isn´t that convincing.

The sound production is darker, and more compact that the Scott Burns produced debut album and overall the sound production is a step up from the sound on "Considered Dead (1991)". So even though there are some issues with the songwriting lacking hooks, "The Erosion of Sanity" is still a quality release by Gorguts. It´s well played, well produced, and relatively well written, and had the music included more catchy moments/more varity between tracks I would probably have given it a 4 star (80%) rating, but as it is a 3.5 star (70%) rating seems more valid.

siLLy puPPy A sudden leap into the progressive world of death metal makes GORGUTS' 2nd release a somewhat more interesting listen. Slightly more progressive than CONSIDERED DEAD but still firmly rooted in brutal death metal with some unconventional riffs and structures that would be fully realized on OBSCURA.

This album is a brutal beast save the occasional tinkling of beautiful pianos or classical guitar and if you're in the mood for no compromise brutality with slight progressive leanings than this is the album for you. I didn't hear this album at the time it came out so my affection for it isn't as strong as other's seem to have but it's by no means a bad album and is short enough to warrant a listen now and again.

Conor Fynes 'The Erosion Of Sanity' - Gorguts (7/10)

Gorguts' second album is one that most every death metal afficionado has heard, or will hear at some point. It is widely considered a classic of death metal, and following in the footsteps of their American peers, this Canadian group is a band that I have come to respect quite a bit. Although they would reach their true artistic zenith with the third album 'Obscura', 'The Erosion Of Sanity' is a strong album from the band. Albeit not yet having the innovation and mind-boggling direction that Gorguts would become better known for, I would still sake out 'Erosion' as one of the stronger conventional death records I have heard.

Although I would not consider myself a fan of much death metal, I have listened to enough to identify what I consider to be the better, and less glorious aspects of certain bands' sounds within the genre. As an album that came out in the early 90's, Gorguts here has a sound that is easily identified with many other contemporaries from North America; most notably the style's pioneers, Death. While I would say that Gorguts takes a sound of their own entirely on the third album, 'The Erosion Of Sanity' feels like a disciple to mid-era Death, particularly from that band's second album 'Leprosy' up to 'Individual Thought Patterns'. The guitar tones, solos, and even vocalist Luc Lemay's growl are very close to what Death was doing only a few years before. For any death metal fan, this is not necessarily a bad thing- and Gorguts pays an impressive tribute to Death here at that- although it has nothing on the sense of awe that 'Obscura' gave me.

The music is not particularly heavy or technical by today's standards, but there are riffs and sections here that sound as powerful as they ever have. 'Condemned To Obscurity' has one of the best riffs I have ever heard in death metal; an amazing song that is led in by a classical piano introduction, and then erupts with this apocalyptic pinch-harmonic fueled barrage that gives me chills. The riffs are potentially immense here, and there's even some nice bass to be heard here, provided it manages to peak through the mix. Lemay's vocals are strong, although he does sound like a disciple to Chuck Schuldiner here, more than anything. The thing that I am not finding myself too impressed with are the drums, played here by Stephane Provencher. While he certainly knows how to beat a drumkit to death, there are plenty of sections here where he uses blastbeats, and they do not work nearly as well as they should have. The muddy drum mixing does not help matters much either.

While I would not consider myself to be a fan of much that the death metal style offers, I believe that in its conventional form, the early 90s was the best period for the sound, and an album like 'The Erosion Of Sanity' backs up this notion. Gorguts would not break out from under the thumb of Death and other American bands until their third album, and while nothing else that Gorguts has ever done can raise a finger to 'Obscura', 'The Erosion Of Sanity' comes in second place; a fine, classic-sounding record for death metal.