Inspired by the not-so ethereal detachment felt within a near-death experience this fifth full-length album from Rio De Janeiro, Brazil-based psychedelic doom/heavy rock quartet GODS & PUNKS walks the listener from unsuspecting thrive to a comatose state ’til at rest in a near void state of recovery. Having faced ones own morbidity and walked out the other side ‘Death‘ is less a depiction of the adversary and more an illustration of where the author’d found a new point of actualization, an experience to add to the psyche going forth having seen the abyss. Still tinged with the 70’s proto-metal soul and desert-bound psych of past releases this latest album comes with no less of a trip to take in hand but also arrives with a great deal of change applied. It’ll be a very different, far more serious-faced experience than before yet no less remarkable a doom-rock release from this thus far prolific, ever adaptive troupe.

Gods & Punks formed circa 2013 channeling an “anywhere but here” vision of desert-bound psychedelic/progressive doom metal grooves in their attic as brothers (bassist/vocalist) Alexandre and (guitarist) Pedro Canhetti and crew put together an easily approached and well-produced debut record (‘Into the Dunes of Doom‘, 2017) via a quintet that’d been largely unchanged ’til COVID-19 hit. The big thing to note up front on that first record and each place they’d taken it since is that each of their records goes somewhere different that where it starts, there is a destination in mind and I suppose they weren’t yet getting weird with it on that first album. Their sound took a turn toward the lo-fi/stoner quasi-70’s drift on the second album (‘Enter the Ceremony of Damnation‘, 2018) and here we start to find some of the more serious-toned and ‘retro’ feeling distance that sparks up on ‘Death‘ as well, a song like “From Sand to Throne” is probably precedence enough on some level. All in all the first four records from the band were written to tell a continuous narrative they’ve dubbed the Voyage series which comes with consistent visual design and all that, making it pretty easy to just pick up the lot and take it on.

In taking a quick ride through the full discography of the band I’d already begun to make the argument in mind that some of their jam sessions and extraneous releases were more interesting than their first two records to start but with ‘And the Celestial Ascension‘ (2019) it’d felt like Gods & Punks had found their way into their own, or, they were onto something that was feasibly touched by auld psychedelic rock and more than desert rock infused doom though they’d kept the pace slow and steadied all the same. They’d finally written more than a dirge at that point but it was ‘The Sounds of the Universe‘ (2021) that’d tied it all together as they’d written their own take on the heavy rock song throughout, breaking the syrupy focus of their first three records to a strangely spirited sound, one which’d reinforced some of their past work but hadn’t quite found a signature beyond Canhetti‘s voice and the use of electric organ. While I don’t believe ‘Death‘ intends to reinforce the identity of the band so much as tell a story in a different voice if you were a fan of the band’s fourth album I’d figure there is a lot you’d recognize and enjoy about this fifth one despite the tone being entirely different and the mood being low. Otherwise they’ve brought in the guitarist from drummer Gabriel Santiago‘s other band (Blind Horse) Rodrigo Blasquez for this record which pulls together various pieces written beyond 2021.

It took me roughly three spins of ‘Death‘ to go from “Ah, fuck that is annoying.” and slapping it outta my ears to “Hey, this album is great.” and leaving it on rotation for about a week straight. What’d happened over the course of those second and third listens wasn’t all that unusual in my case where the simply set psychedelic doom-fused Sabbath groove these folks are working with hit better at a time of rest. When the mind was alight and raw it was an irritant and when it was scoured and half-asleep it’d landed where it belonged. I’d found there is a meditative yet dire mood hanging over this album like a hood, one which treads toward disconnection, fear and eventually some sense of burnt out twilight which any fan of distraught late Vietnam war-era heavy rock will understand. It isn’t a reprise and there is no praise at the end but the album does resolve between two bluesier jammed-out pieces. But don’t let me get to the end-point first, the threat of death must strike first.

“Slowburner” isn’t even the biggest riff-forward heavy rock song on the album but it does have all the swaggering, blues-broken exaggerations a prime stoner-doom metal record should when stepping into view. A haunting and surprisingly sombre opener if you’re not privy to the theme of the album just yet, but a strong enough shot of energy to build up the momentum for this far more active, energized Side A. At this point Gods & Punks have well-proven they can sling a big proto-metallic/doom rock level riff without sounding like they’ve locked themselves squarely in the 70’s but in this case it is the right place to start, to rile up the base and find a way into the more serious and affected headspace of ‘Death‘. If the exclamation of “Alright now” mid song isn’t enough to take you there, you’re sitting with the wrong album.

From there we disassociate into “Loss Of Reality” probably the near-peak of any traditional doom metal fan’s interest in this album and the song that’d hooked me into more than a preview to start thanks to its chest-thumping heavy metal beat and lead guitar lines which hook through its main verses. The energy isn’t necessarily leaking from the album already but the stride of this song doesn’t foreshadow good times ahead either as its five minute walk-through finds no real peaking statement; My favorite song on the album overall, the horror-doom of “The Night of a Thousand Days”, recalls the creep of 80’s Italian doom in its affect between the organ, church bells ringing, acoustic accoutrement alongside the spooked narration of the song. It all comes together with a classic, stripped back analog feeling though the fuzz-clubbed guitar tone still holds our heads under-water while the song tolls out. Again, fans of more traditional doom metal should appreciate those first three songs here most as Gods & Punks are a both a changed entity and a band of many sides. While this is a dire, serious-themed album they’re not about to skip out on a chance to work in 70’s psychedelic rock gloom, as they’ve always been strong purveyors of more than just Sabbath grooves. In this sense “Decerebration” holds onto the horror, the looming threat of detachment as the limbo-entranced mid-section of the full listen begins to reach its drifting point.

My interest more-or-less fades from there, or at least after the first four songs were my main point of connection. There is, however, a good reason for these songs to be a bit comatose and struck with ether as they’re meant to depict both a (induced, I assume) coma and a surgery that’d saved the vocalist’s life. I’m sure there is more of a story there but since I don’t have more than a knowledge of what decerebration is and what causes it. I’ve nonetheless gotten the point and “The Space Between Spaces” does a fine enough job of pulling us out of the ether, again this should feel somewhat connected to the realms unlocked on the band’s previous album though the tone is solitary, serious and cold. By the time “Black Box” intends to be cumulative I think I’d been kinda jammed out and found myself ready to move on back to where the album’d started.

Again I’d make the point that we’ve gone somewhere, perhaps more naturally and with a more minimal approach, but Gods & Punks defining attribute for me is that they’ll take the listener somewhere within each album’s experience and in this case it feels like a more taxing, darker and far more personal trip than ever. I’d found it far more interesting than their previous work not only in terms of the spread of its style (as more of a doom metal fan) but also the subject matter. As an introduction to the band it might be a bit awkward since their first four records were on a different subject, on a different plane with each chapter featuring a decidedly more lushly presented experimental sound but this one happens to be more to my own taste as a somewhat morbid, experiential record. A moderately high recommendation.

Note: United States folks see Glory or Death Records for a copy.

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