There's no question that Canadians like their death metal on the hyperactive side, what with bands such as Cryptopsy, Martyr, Kataklysm and others producing some intense technically-minded death metal, but Gorguts just might top them all. Formed in 1989, they attracted the attention of Roadrunner Records and put out two fine albums in the early nineties, before being dropped by the label and undergoing some lineup changes. It would be five years before the band would record again, but even hardened fans of the band were probably not prepared for the complete and utter insanity that is Obscura. Twisted riffs, insane time changes, odd jazzy/dischordant interludes, it's all there, a tangled mess that somehow the band manages to keep under its control. A work of death metal genius, or an experiment in complexity gone awry? Though hard to say for sure, the album did garner many excellent reviews, and truly put Gorguts' name at the top of experimental death metal bands. Their followup, 2001's From Wisdom To Hate, reigns in the chaos a bit (but only a litle bit) -- these guys are almost unparalleled in their ambition to craft bizarre, experimental, yet undeniably brutal death metal.
Sadly, drummer Steve MacDonald committed suicide in late 2002, and little has been heard from the band since.