67. Gargoyl - 'Gargoyl'

Just to clarify this is Gargoyl without the ‘e’ at the end and is different from Gargoyle, the eighties Japanese thrash band and Gargoyle the eighties hair-metal band from Portland. This is the debut release from the hyper-modern Prog-Grunge (prunge doesn’t quite work) side project from Revocation’s David Davidson. It’s really rather good indeed, surprisingly so for a concept as convoluted as prog-grunge. Its gloriously understated in its delivery. It may be experimental and avant-garde in places, but it is not showy or extrovert in its weirdness.

There is a melancholic refrain in the way that it approaches it tracks. It is happy to confound expectations, but it is not doing so just to be difficult. There seems a genuine interest in seeing how these diverse musical forms mix. What we get is an album full of harmonies and minimal angular riffs, that is both intriguing and captivating.