Review GURD ‘Hallucinations’

It’s been eight years since gurD from Switzerland released an album. But now, with ‘Hallucinations’, the wait is over. V.O. Pulver, Pat, Franky and Steve have recorded ten new songs, which will slowly creep into the ear canals of their fans at the end of September.

gurD stands for groove metal, based on thundering rhythms and crashing riffs. ‘Hallucinations’ doesn’t change anything about this basic interpretation. “Hej Ho let’s go” … this is how the opener ‘Merry Go Round’ kicks off and what follows is the soundtrack for an official mosh pit.

A thundering beat introduces ‘I Like the Pain’, followed by a riff storm that has the power of a wrecking ball. The song is a kind of homage to Pro Pain, with whom gurD were on the road.

‘FEAR’ is another track that powerfully blasts out of the speakers before the frantic ‘Devil’s Bread’ takes over. Thematically, the song fits very well into the gurD context, as the band takes up a story from ancient northern Sicily. It’s about how the inhabitants started hallucinating due to rye contaminated with ergot. What a story. gurD press the pedal to the metal with this song and before a grooving mid-tempo comes into action again with ‘Ghosts of Black Holes’. Heavy and with crushing power the band goes to action musically, which is also the foundation for ‘Ship in Distress’, which is slightly reminiscent of Prong.

The latter song also refers to current issues and deals with the inability of politicians who are not able to change anything for the better.

gurD deliver with ‘Hallucinations ‘ a rock solid record. Musically, the band meets all expectations and does not reinvent itself. Fans of the band will be happy with this release.