The Gorge To Release "Mechanical Fiction" Full-Length Via Pelagic Records July 28th; “Beneath The Crust” Live Session Video Now Playing

As we all know, in progressive music there is a fne line between instrumental profciency and bare ass wanking. The art of remaining tasteful while performing crazy acrobatics on your instruments is hard to master, but on their third full-length album Mechanical Fiction, St. Louisbased progressive metal outft THE GORGE master the challenge with ease. Born from their shared love for heavy music and 20 years of experience in playing together, THE GORGE consists of four jazz musicians who use the project as a creative outlet besides their day jobs as session musicians and music educators. Triangulating the chaotic yet groovy energy and the guitar masterclass of Botch with the rifage of Mastodon and the nimble instrumental intricacy of Animals as Leaders or Intronaut, Mechanical Fiction is an immensely ear-pleasing collection of tasty rifs and complex compositions that are nonetheless free-fowing like a river smoothly carving its winding path through a rugged landscape.

Straddling a wide range of musical infuences, Mechanical Fiction is an afair between four lovers of complex and heavy music. From the dazzling math rock complexities of album opener «Synapse Misfre» to the tapping acrobatics of «A Decision Was Made», the whole of Mechanical Fiction exudes the pure joy these musicians must have felt while composing these tracks. Just following along the fast-chugging mid-section of «Beneath The Crust» which leads to the beautiful surprise of a glorious choir hailing the sunrise, or just rocking out to the glorious rifng that kicks in after some blistering blast beats on «Presence» are just a few of the ample examples of memorability and pure face-melting bliss on Mechanical Fiction.

“Mechanical Fiction refers to the mundane ways in which we proceed through our lives”, explains guitarist/vocalist Phil Ring. “Living out routines because that is what we are supposed to do, we constantly go through the motions, telling ourselves that everything is okay.” Scratching the surface, THE GORGE protrude pure fun combining tasteful guitar wizardry with giant grooves and a keen sense of songwriting, but delving deeper into the record and especially into the lyrics will lead to the discovery of unexpected emotional depth. “Dealing with the loss of loved ones to mental illness weighed heavily in the lyric writing process for me”, continues Ring. Shifting across the lyrics in his massive baritone growl, THE GORGE frontman brings to life pure desola- tion and grief on songs like «A Decision Was Made» or «Earthly Decay» making them not only pack a punch musically, but also emotionally.