Austin Sound

For those who haven’t experienced the blitzkrieg of sound that is Gorch Fock, Thrilller, the latest release by the Austin septet, is the best trial-by-fire available. Rather than start with a slow, dawdling intro or a series of highly accessible songs, Thrilller drops the listener straight into a warzone — a fitting approach, considering the origin of the band’s name is a three-masted German naval vessel.

The band’s website labels them as “Rock / Death Metal / Experimental.” If this seems too abstract, it’s only because it is meant to be. Synth-drum intros like that in “One of 5 Sisters” seem to echo the Refused, before slipping into the grinding, titanic riffs reminiscent of Doomriders or Sadaharu. Epic buildups and brooding bass lines hint at influences from Texas’ own Explosions in the Sky, while vocals pay homage to the Minutemen or Neil Young’s talk/sing style. Comparisons could be made to the different parts of the album all day but entirely miss the point of the whole. This is a band that revels in its schizophrenic nature.

9/19/06
Gorch Fock is celebrating the release of their third full length, Thrilller this Friday at Woody’s South, and yes that’s three l’s for added emphasis. But never content to do anything without going all the way, the Fockers are playing the show for free, as well as offering free drinks, free cds and free cigarettes. That’s right, Gorch Fock will smoke you up, drink you under and rock you out, all at no expense to you (except your hung over Saturday morning of course). Joining them on the bill are Blown Free, playing their debut show, and fellow Australian Cattle Gods The Snake Trap.

But if you plan on partaking in this magnificent bacchanalia (rockanalia?) you should get there early. The free fun starts at 9pm and drinks last only as long as the undisclosed amount on the bar tab. And CD’s will be handed out to only the first 50 diehard fans to get there (who will undoubtedly be buying extra copies for their friends, associates, grandmothers, etc.). As far as the cigarettes, well big tobacco has no problem pushing, so we’re assuming they’ll be throwing those around all night long.