From Wisdom to Hate is the fourth and final release from Canadian technical death metal band Gorguts. Released in 2001 on Olympic/Century Media, From Wisdom to Hate is somewhat of a continuation of the avant-garde and technical insantity that was their classic Obscura, but here things are toned down just a tad, as the band chose to compact their songs a little bit and slow down on the "over the top" technicality. A good way to describe this album would be to take the brutality and death metal menace of their first two releases (Considered Dead & Erosion of Sanity) and combine it with the technical nature of Obscura, but add in a more sophisticated edge.
As there are only eight songs here, most run in the 5-6 minute range. "Inverted" kicks things off with brutal riffs, death growls, and insane rhythms. Lots of off-kilter guitar passages, including wild pinch harmonics and scrapes, which was a trademark from Obscura, making this tune seem like a continuation of that album. Things start to turn however on the "Behave Through Mythos" and the excellent title track, two moody, atmospheric death metal classics, complete with plenty of melody and intricate arrangements. Luc Lemay & Daniel Mongrain's guitar work is outstanding here, with Mongrain throwing in an acrobatic solo on the latter piece amidst the pummeling drum work of Steve MacDonald. The longest track on the album at just under 7-minutes, "The Quest For Equilibrium", starts off with some haunting keyboards & gongs, which give way to some doomy progressive metal riffs and Lemay's tortured growls. Up next is the speedy "Unearthing The Past", a brutal death/thrash number with shifting guitar patterns and wicked drum beats, while "Elusive Treasures" sees more blast beats firing alongside some of the most grooviest guitar riffs on the album. Despite the brutal and technical nature of their music, that's one thing that Gorguts always had, which is plenty of groove. Expect lots of melody throughout the Nile-ish intensity of "Das Martyrium Des... ", a killer technical death metal piece with brutal vocals and complex riffery, and the closing instrumental "Testimonial Ruins" is a tasty number that showcases the bands musical skills and penchant for melodic arrangements.
Although not intended as such at the time, From Wisdom to Hate has turned out to be the band's swan-song, as leader Luc Lemay eventually folded the group and has now started up Negativa, who are busy working on their debut album. Let's see how it stacks up against a very solid and powerful Gorguts discography.
Track Listing
1. Inverted
2. Behave Through Mythos
3. From Wisdom To Hate
4. The Quest For Equilibrium
5. Unearthing The Past
6. Elusive Treasures
7. Das Martyrium Des...
8. Testimonial Ruins
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