Gozu - Gozu VI

"(Gozu) ring the stoner sponge dry."

Artist: Gozu
Album Title: Gozu VI
Record Label: Blacklight Media/Metal Blade
Genre: Stoner
For Fans Of: High On Fire, Mastodon, Queens Of The Stone Age, Kyuss
Release Date: May 15th, 2026

Long-time listeners of Heavy Metal Philosophy will know my love/hate relationship with stoner metal. On the one hand, it’s one of my favorite genres when it’s done well. On the other hand, it’s quite difficult for bands named some variation of green, slug, smoke, sleep, mammoth, etc., to play fuzzed-out music in the pentatonic scale and sound any different. Gozu does not suffer from this issue. Their soulful vocals and more chord-focused approach to the genre make for a fun, groovy, and damn heavy affair. The band utilizes speed changes, odd vocal harmonies, and clever arrangements to ring the stoner sponge dry. ‘Gozu VI’ is excellent.

Rating:

“Great Album”

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All-Timer
AOTY Contender
Great Album
Pretty Good
It’s Fine
For Niche Tastes Only
Silly But Really Good At It
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Annoying
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