Release Date May 15th, 2026
Format Digital
Genre Stoner/Fuzz/Blues Rock
Origin USA
Gozu comes out of Boston, Massachusetts, with Marc Gaffney on vocals and guitars, Doug Sherman on lead guitar, Joseph Grotto on bass, and Seth Botos on drums. The name has been tied for years to stoner rock, fuzz rock, blues rock, and heavy rock, with a catalogue built on oversized riffs, deep groove mechanics, soulful vocal hooks, and that greasy swing that separates bar room swagger from cheap retro worship. By the time "Remedy" landed in 2023, Gozu had already moved past the tag of another underground riff act. Their sound has more sweat than pose, more hard rock nerve than trend chasing, and enough melody to stop the whole trip from turning into riff soup. "Gozu VI" is the sixth full length, issued through Blacklight Media and Metal Blade Records, and it arrives after a three year gap with the same line up intact and a heavier emotional charge under the hood.
Produced and mixed by Benny Grotto at Mad Oak Studios in Boston, "Gozu VI" puts eight songs across a little more than forty five minutes, and the sound is big without becoming bloated. The guitars are huge, fuzz soaked, and blues smeared, the bass has enough low end growl to make the grooves physical, and the drums do not sit behind the riffs like furniture. Marc Gaffney’s voice remains the wild card, part soul singer, part cracked hard rock preacher, and it gives the album a human pulse that many riff albums lack. The writing leans more song shaped than jam based, although the longer cuts let the group stretch the groove and use open space. It comes across scarred, sometimes bitter, usually moving forward with smoke in its lungs. The opening half has more urgency than the back half, and a couple of refrains stay in place longer than necessary.
Some transitions are too comfortable, the band locks into a groove and parks there, which works when the riff is mean and less so when the hook is only decent. That is the ceiling here. Gozu is not short on craft, energy, or character, although the album could have used a few sharper turns to make the better songs look less isolated. The production gives the guitars mass and the rhythm section size, leaving the vocals upfront enough to matter. No gloss, no retro costume party, no arena metal perfume. At its peak, "Gozu VI" has the smell of amps, sweat, and bad decisions, with riffs built for volume and choruses that answer back. It is not spotless, and it has a couple of parts that drift, although the good material is too convincing to shrug off. A tough, riff heavy release with soul in the throat and dirt under the nails.
|7.8
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