Impenetrable Cerebral Fortress

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On their long-awaited debut album, Gulch flawlessly justify their standing as one of the most hyped acts in hardcore. Across just eight songs in 15 minutes, the Santa Cruz group summon the beastly force of metalcore and the spasmodic heft of powerviolence, all while maintaining the energy and primal swagger of hardcore. Like many of the genre's greatest bands, Gulch came to prominence for their fearsome live show. Even if they weren't able to capture the electric presence of their set on here (which they do), a collection of rudimentary songs that were menacing enough to send post-pandemic pits into frenzies would have been just fine. However, the most pleasant surprise about Impenetrable Cerebral Fortress is how listenable it is. Save for its bullet-spraying intro track, most of the songs begin with an instrumental passage that allots some necessary breathing room and gives each, mostly sub-two-minute cut its own distinguishing character. Gulch are in and out in the span of a local opener's set here, but the record is surprisingly breathable and doesn't feel rushed or strung together haphazardly. That said, the feral character that Gulch is known for is still completely intact. Elliot Morrow screams like he's actively trying to pop blood vessels, heaving and huffing ad-libbed yawps during a track like "All Fall Down The Well", and shrieking the refrain of "Self-Inflicted Mental Terror" with so much force that his words are barely intelligible. Each song finds its way into either a savage mosh part or a gnarly two-step riff, but there are tasteful moments of grindcore drumming and death metal riffing that push things even further.

The record will surely cement Gulch's status as one of this era's finest heavy hardcore bands, but its best track might be the terrific outlier of a closer, "Sin In My Heart". After 12 minutes of slavering brutality, this song begins with clean melodic guitar leads, tempered drumming, and a pained vocal delivery that's more akin to post-hardcore bands like Ceremony and Modern Life Is War. After a minute and a half, the distortion kicks in and it's back to the pit floor, but the rest of the track has an unexpectedly bright and catchy character to it for a band as nasty as Gulch. It's a salient indication that Impenetrable Cerebral Fortress is more than just an overdue gift to fans who've been rocking their sweatshirts since 2018. It’s a promise that Gulch has much more to offer. © Eli Enis/Qobuz