You can trust Louder Our experienced team has worked for some of the biggest brands in music. From testing headphones to reviewing albums, our experts aim to create reviews you can trust. Find out more about how we review.

Boston may not be the likeliest origin for a stoner band, but if Elder can do it, then why can’t Gozu?

Formed in 2009, they released their first two albums on stoner Mecca Small Stone Records, giving them a leg-up into the pantheon of fuzz aficionados, but Revival finds them rubbing shoulders with Grifter and Mothership.

From the moment Nature Boy introduces Marc Gaffney’s smoky, Chris Cornell-esque vocals, the riffs, leads, sonorous bass hooks and the deft skin-pounding of ex-Warhorse drummer Mike Hubbard points to QOTSA as a source of inspiration. But as Revival progresses, Gozu’s experimental persuasions unravel, and in doing so distinguishes them from working-men’s stoner that tends to lack innovation. Closer Tin Chicken says it best with eight minutes of whacked-out LSD SFX and an infinity of echoey solos. It’s not all prismatic widdle, though, and when they’re not tripping out Gozu are tight and groovy, making for a nice package.

With over 10 years’ experience writing for Metal Hammer and Prog, Holly has reviewed and interviewed a wealth of progressively-inclined noise mongers from around the world. A fearless voyager to the far sides of metal Holly loves nothing more than to check out London’s gig scene, from power to folk and a lot in between. When she’s not rocking out Holly enjoys being a mum to her daughter Violet and working as a high-flying marketer in the Big Smoke.