Gozu / Restless Spirit
Gozu, Restless Spirit
Gozu / Restless Spirit
GOZU
For Gozu’s sixth album, “We wanted something that really moved and hit a nerve,” says singer/guitarist Marc Gaffney. “I was pretty roughed up emotionally while writing. I played guitar more in the past two years than ever before. I would work, go to the gym, come home, eat and then play guitar until I went to bed.”
The end result is eight action-packed tracks, produced and mixed by Benny Grotto at Boston’s Mad Oak Studios. Emotion is writ loud and large for the band that’s been praised for their “deep grooves, thick riff mechanics, soulful melodies,” and for creating a “musical stew that intoxicates the listener, sweeping them into another aural universe.”
“I pushed myself to write music differently on this album. The four of us always want a better album than the last one, this felt different when writing, rehearsing, and recording,” Gaffney says. “The music did the talking and everyone had their parts and executed top notch.”
Gaffney has spoken about the band’s “maturity mixed with a childlike enthusiasm to play music,” and Gozu VI’s songs are proof positive. “ I think this is more of a soulful, straight forward, guitar-driven album. Lyrically, this took on a whole different feel, and it wrote itself.”
Standout tracks include “Banacek!” possessed of an “Iron Maiden vibe and “Steve Harris gallop.” Gozu are a band of myriad influences, and surprisingly, power-pop rockers Jellyfish and their amazing vocal harmonies helped intrinsically with Gaffney’s stellar voicing on the song.
Guitarist Doug Sherman sent the first, guitar-only take of “Killer Khan” to Gaffney, telling his singer, “Think ‘Rough Boys’ by Pete Townsend,’ and it clicked. The intro was inspired by that tune and it was our homage to one of our favorite songs,” Gaff says. “I was listening to a ton of Marshall Tucker, Allman Brothers, and I wanted something guttural yet emotionally drenched in heartbreak and Jamesons.”
“Doug and I are always sending each other phone recordings,” the singer furthers. “So, we had a bunch in the mix when we all got together. It’s usually Doug and I meeting, then Seth and Joseph hop on board and we all hammer it out. Lyrics for these tunes were written way ahead as I was going through some shit. I would write at night in this crappy apartment I was living in so I would not be indulging in cocktails,” Gaffney says. “Sometimes you must have your own therapy sessions, and I had a fuck ton!”
Typically creative song titles are found on Gozu VI. To wit, “Corinthian Leatherface.” The band wanted to create something molded out of their love for Queens of the Stone Age, Queen, and Motown harmonies. “Lyrically, I needed an outlet,” Gaffney explains, “and this was an amazing vehicle to add NOS [Nitrous Oxide] to.” However, those very worthy song titles are not related to the song’s lyrical content. “The names are a time when we can let our hair down and just laugh collectively. I have never lived in the Karakoram range of the K2 Mountains or played games with Demons or driven across the desert reading Dostoyevsky while on a pop rock bender,” says Gaff. “People think because a title has a certain person or word in it, must it be about that.” Nope. “We also think about people reading the titles out loud and it can make us smile. ‘Corinthian Leatherface’ is a very personal tune, as are all the others,” the frontman says. “That one just smashes you in the face right out of the gate.”
The singular band’s last album, 2023’s Remedy, was reviewed as an “utter triumph” and a praised for being “never too testosteroney, even when the songs are at their heaviest.” With Gozu VI, the lineup’s melding of intense, fuzzy 70s-inspired riffs, rich, catchy, grunge-esque vocal melodies and a touch of old school stoner psychedelia has reached a zenith. Gozu is a glad blend of genres, and incorporate so many of their influences that they Kick Ball Chain on the lines of a few genres. Categorize them how you will: “We don’t mind if people think we’re Stoner, Doom, Heavy, Easy listening with a touch of cayenne pepper. I feel we’re a Heavy Soulful Band,” Gaff says. “We play music that people can shake their ass to and lyrics that are honest and deal with human nature.”
The Boston-based foursome’s playing was fine-tuned by the time they hit the studio, having toured for almost four months for Remedy. In addition to shows with the Obsessed and Howling Giant and a tour with Dozer, Gozu shone at huge gigs with Baroness and blew away a crowd of 10,000 at France’s Hellfest. So when it came to recording Gozu VI, Gaff and co. were in a powerful place musically, which resulted in some cool and successful experimentation.
“I tried things vocally that I had been wanting to do too but did not feel confident in before--this time I went for it,” Gaffney says. “Doug used some new pedals and played a little acoustic guitar on a chorus to make his inner Joni Mitchell shine. Joe played on a matt that reverberated the sound for feeling. It looked like he was in a Jam Band/DJ booth of amore!”
While Gaffney’s life personal life was in a tough patch, as many pointed lyrics show, the live shows helped his mood: “I was feeling rough and emotionally distraught, but doing shows helped me to get out of the funk I was living in,” he admits. The 2025 writing and recording of Gozu VI was further catharsis. “This album really displays our influences and sonically it delivers. If you have ever had a bad day, felt out of place, or needed to shut down the engines and get back to neutral, I feel this album will help you to do all of these things,” Gaff concludes, offering up one of his signature song-referenced humous quips: “Eat a Peach.”
RESTLESS SPIRIT
Restless Spirit is a three-piece heavy metal band from Long Island, New York, known for blending stoner, doom, and sludge metal with progressive elements. Formed in 2018 (previously active under names like Witchtripper and DMP), the group consists of singer/guitarist Paul Aloisio, bassist Marc Morello, and drummer Jon Gusman. Their music is characterized by powerful riffs, raw vocals, and themes of personal loss, depression, and perseverance.