Swimming in your guts,
Spaghetti supersized,
This is your last supper and your permanent demise.

Surprise, surprise. If there would be lists of the best (metal) comeback albums in 2020 (I’m sure those lists exist), GORATORY would make it into the top 5. This is neither a comeback I expected, nor can I resist or ignore. The cover artwork alone caught my attention and made me smirk all over the face. Hairy big balls garnished with sour grapes… Big balls seem to be an issue in GORATORY. Visually at least. They have ones, that is for sure ;)
Sixteen years after their third full-length Rice On Suede, Boston-based Brutal death metal maniacs GORATORY triumphantly slap out Sour Grapes, a refreshing 8-track piece running compact 26 minutes. GORATORY still deliver sick humor and tasty perversions, leaving you teary-eyed and laughing out loud. Poetry on the lowest level yet with a sociocritical view and references to current events. Listen/read to Evolutionary Wart for example.
Anyway, talking musicianship, GORATORY are beyond reproach. Sour Grapes is a lesson of ultra-precise stops, breaks, blastparts and rhythmic finesse. Just listen to Rat King. This is organized chaos. In between, always again short stints of Slam Groove appear, while the singing of Adam Mason alternates from demonic pig squeals to deep-throated growls (Losing Streak). I Shit Your Pants? Well, the title says it all ;) Much more… "…The desert sun ripens rot in a hazmat nightmare. Flower power needs a shower hour…". Can you do it any better?
Back To The Grinding Machine marks the final butchery and is the longest track (one minute more than the others) on this entertaining short record. Almost classic Death Metal treats make the song a little bit slower in favor of a little bit more groove. Killer track!

Sour Grapes comes at the right time to enlighten the last quarter of this fucked up year. GORATORY brings you sunshine, laughter and… um… balls. Listen to GORATORY and clear your mind. Over-the-counter. 8.5 out of 10.