Gungire – Surge (Self-Released)

Monday, 13th November 2023 By Katarina McGinn

Rating: 8.5/10

Talk about a quick return, Gungire just gave a release to their first EP, Scattered, last month and there they are back again with a second EP in hand with Surge! If you look at the release dates of singles it does start to make a bit more sense, with much of Scattered having been released as single tracks throughout 2022 through earlier in 2023, but Gungire seem very cognizant of out of sight, out of mind when it comes to the public eye. The stream of singles that led to Scattered having been mostly used up, Surge sees new songs surfacing for the first time.

With the first track being the exception to what was just stated, it is however a new version of the band’s first single from 2022 titled “Rotten Vegetable.” Operating with some monstrously downtuned chugging riffs, that rage-infused attitude is very apparent as you groove through the track, which only relents slightly for a catchier clean vocal chorus from Nana. “Stir Up” follows suit with some rather upbeat riffing and electronics, instantly grabbing your ear with the cleaner vocals and seemingly built for the live show ‘whoas.’ But fear not, ‘the angriest band in Japan’ isn’t going soft on you, with more frenetic thrashy verses that hit just as hard as anything else they’ve done to date – especially the chugging riffs later on. If there’s one theme that does seem to come across when comparing the content from the two EPs, Surge seems to capitalize on the dynamic shift between melody and aggression more than its recent predecessor. “Logout” even goes so far as to employ some rapping vocals from Nana in alongside with the rest of her usual cleans and growls. The EP closes with its most frantic track, “Missing Home,” where the thrashier tempos once again take over, with galloping riffs and assaulting drums hitting that abrasive yet hooky combo that the band deploys so well.

Scattered was an excellent first taste of Gungire, and Surge proves that a quick second helping is just as satisfying. Gungire have all the mechanics in place to secure themselves as a thunderous international act when it comes to the metalcore/modern metal scene, so one has to hope that the solid quantity of output gets them more eyes and ears connecting to them. Because as soon as that happens, you can guarantee they are taking off on the fast lane to greater successes.