25 Best Metal Albums Of The Decade
3. Gorguts - Colored Sands (2013)
Luc Lemay was playing a dangerous game when he risked Gorguts' immaculate reputation by reviving the group for 2013's Colored Sands, though, really, fans had little reason to be anything other than excited. The man's track record almost guaranteed another avant-garde death metal classic. That's what Gorguts delivered, and Colored Sands absolutely deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as 1998's Obscura.
At a time when other bands had taken Gorguts' original blueprint and attempted to further a sound they created, Lemay and the band showed nobody had overtaken them during their hiatus. It's a detailed and precise tapestry of soundscapes and textures composed with flair and invention, with the instrumentation coming to the forefront. The vocals are low in the mix and almost distant. This stylistic choice enhances their ominous quality and allows the intricacies of drummer John Longstreth's patterns and weaving bass/lead interplay to sit more prominently, carrying you through nine sonic journeys that twist and turn with uncommon time signatures but never feel formless.
Tracks like "Enemies of Compassion" show Gorguts still know how to slay, too.