Stunning Bass and Drums but Average Riffs and Songwriting - A Review of Gotsu Totsu Kotsu's Back from the Underworld

Gotsu Totsu Kotsu is Japan's most commercially successful and critically acclaimed death metal band. Back from the Underworld is the trio's sixth full length effort after five years of silence. This album comes around with ten songs and a total running time of sixty minutes which logically means that the songs are on average six minutes long.

The most stunning element about this band is its excellent musicianship. The drum play is incredibly variable and offers everything from lower mid-tempo passages to thunderous speed. A few solos here and there add further energy at the right moments without dwelling on for too long.

The bass guitar play also deserves much praise. The instrument is played loudly, quickly and skillfully throughout the record. There are even some solo sections that shine brightly. They last long enough to be memorable but not too long to come off as exaggerated.

The guitar play is good but overall more serviceable. The riffs enter traditional death metal territory while the short solos are of a more technical approach. The guitar play is overall however a lot less experimental, outstanding and skillful than drums and bass.

The vocals are certainly the most boring element about this record. They offer standard growls that rush by without leaving any significant impression. From one song to the next, they sound completely exchangeable.

Regarding the songwriting, this output would have benefited from some more diversity. The bass guitar solos and stunning drum passages are certainly impressive but once you hear them for the third time, they start to sound a lot less spectacular. The guitar riffs and vocals start to sound tired after a few songs already. Only few songs break out of traditional songwriting stuctures with fast musicianship, long verses, short choruses and the technically appealing bridges. There simply aren't enough surprising songs like "Severed Head on the Prowl" that include some hypnotizing folk chants recalling the likes of Sepultura and Soulfly.

Traditional and technical death metal tend to be extremely overrated on many metal-related websites and Gotsu Totsu Kotsu already have a massive fan base. What Back from the Underworld offers is technically appealing death metal with excellent drum play, refreshing bass guitar sounds and intense production. The guitar riffs and solos as well as the vocals are only just above average. The songwriting is often by the numbers. Genre fans should be pleased once again but occasional listeners might only value this output as a good one as it's missing some distinctive courage to qualify as very good, excellent or even perfect.

Final Rating: 70%