From Bandcamp, "GUTVOID was formed in Toronto, Ontario by Daniel Bonofiglio (Guitar) and Brendan Dean (Guitar and Vocals), soon followed by Justin Boehm (Bass) and D. W. Lee (Drums). Blending modern death and doom soundscapes with progressive rock and metal songwriting foundations, GUTVOID creates a monster seething with gut-wrenching riffs, cavernous vocals and prog virtuosity. The upcoming full-length album "Liminal Shrines," the first half of a two-part concept, showcases the band at their most intricate, aggressive, and creative thus far, further expanding and building on their cosmic horror infused atmospheres and origins." The album has six songs, including the intro song called "Ruinous Gateways." Drums echo in the deep, and a steady section of aggressive rhythm guitars plunders forward. The entire song has a somber quality to it.

"Spell Reliquary" is an eight-minute beast, and another lumbering and aggressive riff chugs forward, with steady drums in tow. There are fleeting moments when you catch a quick melody line, but that's not the focus of the album; it's mostly on a hard, cold slab of Death Metal that does progress through some difficult passages. Indeed, their musicianship comes through strong. "Smothering Sea" moves forward with purpose…and it's a crushing one at that. The riffs are razor sharp, and there are some nice lead breaks. The album explores well. It's not just a punishing collection of Death Metal riffs, although they are there, but the band isn't afraid to branch out within the genre boundaries. "Umbriel's Door" is more aggressive and chaotic, building on a chain saw riff that cuts through anything. There are dive bomb whammy sequences, and quad-time drumming mastery as well.

"Lead Me Beyond the Sleeping I" is downright depressive, at first. It seems like the collective weight of the world was just thrown on your shoulders, and it's too much for one to bear. It travels deep and dark, to places you have only heard about in legends. "Chasm of Displaced Souls" is the final offering, and talk about deep and dark…this song takes the wormhole entrance directly inside the black hole void. The deeply aggressive sound finally subsides approaching the halfway mark, and you get a sense of the band's development of melody along with the pulverizing tones. We also get a devastating breakdown. Overall, this was an excellent album. At its central core, it's Death Metal, but there are some tasty riffs and pyrotechnics that suggest this is thinking man's Death Metal. There are also some moments of ambiance and outright melody at times. Come take a walk with "Liminal Shrines" and see where it might lead you.