Halifax troupe Wot Gorilla? clearly aren’t messing about on their debut album 'Kebnekaise'. Right from the off the band take more twists and turns than a twisty-turny thing doing a twisty-turny dance at the local club’s ‘Twist & Turn’ night. Think Tubelord mixed with Maps & Atlases and you are approaching the level of math rock goodness that Wot Gorilla? inflict over the course of 'Kebnekaise'.
Of course, such time signature craziness is only just about acceptable in the event of some decent songwriting as well and thankfully Wot Gorilla? are more than happy to oblige here. Although some songs tend to pass by with little more than a noticeable hello and goodbye ('Is' and 'Afraid of the Dark' in particular), there are moments here in which the band completely wrap the listener up in their topsy-turvy world. '655' and 'Holy B’Jesus', placed consequentially as they are towards the end of the track listing, make for the best, and most memorable, part of the album.
That is not to say that the majority of this record is below par. More accurate would be to claim that it is perhaps a little underwhelming on first listen. It takes a little while to attune to the band’s stylings, musically and vocally. For, despite the building blocks the band lay down, they are never so easy going as to release the bats and go completely mental with huge walls of bulldozer guitar riffs. Instead Wot Gorilla? are more content to showcase their musical abilities in a fashion that is deliberately beguiling rather than arrestingly loud and forceful.
Perhaps 'Kebnekaise' could benefit from a few more fireworks here and there but, for a debut album, the band already has a songwriting maturity beyond their years. They have not always taken the easy path on this record. However, the rewards are all the greater as a result. Not an attention grabber but an attention keeper…which is surely far more valuable.
Wot Gorilla? are playing some shows across the UK over the next few months. Visit their website at www.wotgorilla.com for more information.
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Of course, such time signature craziness is only just about acceptable in the event of some decent songwriting as well and thankfully Wot Gorilla? are more than happy to oblige here. Although some songs tend to pass by with little more than a noticeable hello and goodbye ('Is' and 'Afraid of the Dark' in particular), there are moments here in which the band completely wrap the listener up in their topsy-turvy world. '655' and 'Holy B’Jesus', placed consequentially as they are towards the end of the track listing, make for the best, and most memorable, part of the album.
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