THE GORGE

THURSDAY

The art of remaining tasteful while performing crazy acrobatics on your instruments is hard to master, but on their third full-length album Mechanical Fiction, St. Louis-based progressive metal outfit THE GORGE master the challenge with ease. Born from their shared love for heavy music and 20 years of experience in playing together, THE GORGE consists of four jazz musicians who use the project as a creative outlet besides their day jobs as session musicians and music educators. Triangulating the chaotic yet groovy energy and the guitar masterclass of Botch with the riffage of Mastodon and the nimble instrumental intricacy of Animals as Leaders or Intronaut, Mechanical Fiction is an immensely ear-pleasing collection of tasty riffs and complex compositions that are nonetheless free-flowing like a river smoothly carving its winding path through a rugged landscape. The Gorge’s singular vision of heavy music is rooted in eclectic influences ranging from Meshuggah and Botch to Igor Stravinsky and John Coltrane. They have shared stages with Dillinger Escape Plan, Everytime I Die, Protest The Hero, and The Armed.