For Kansas City, Missouri-based Progressive Death Metallers GOURMAND, the idea of eclectic quality-driven material is already baked into their band's name itself, which means to be a lover of food, gluttony, and or a connoisseur in an abstract sense as the band uses it. It's an ethos tied to the passion for many different kinds of art which lies at the heart of what Gourmand is about...all of which is on display on and their new EP, "To Bring to Nothing," which is a further evolution and shift for a group already adept at covering a wide range of sounds and styles. The album contains three tracks.

"The Myth of Purpose" leads off the album. It begins with a heavy staccato rhythm and some tight technical elements, amidst the rolling drums and Death vocals. Just before the half-way mark, it drops to some ambient clean guitar tones with some background piano. Some twin harmonic leads come in towards the end. "Viral Poverty" being with brief cello notes and then the darkened rhythms roll in. The drummer varies between traditional beats and super-fast machine gun strikes. Some Progressive elements also mix in.

The title track closes the album. The bassist is doing some creative things amidst the rage of the vocals. I like the ambient and dark pause just after the half-way mark. It brings some creativity to the table.  Overall, this is a good band with excellent musicianship. The drummer is adept at keeping time through absolutely lightning-fast footwork, and the guitars build in creative and different ways. I would call this more Technical Death Metal than anything else, but that is just my way of making sense of music with labels. It's just a three-track EP, but it's pretty solid.