siLLy puPPy In the world of extreme metal bands seem to release EPs for a few reasons. One could be as flotsam and jetsam compiled from previous recording sessions that doesn’t fit well onto official album releases. Two could be a significant deviation from the band’s established style and three a chance to break in some new talent and see if they’re up to the task as replacements for former band members who jumped ship. All three cases seem to fit with GOROD’s so far one and only EP titled TRANSCENDENCE.

This five track EP was released between the albums “Process Of A New Decline” from 2009 and the 2012 album “A Perfect Absolution.” Its the first release with newbies vocalist Guillaume Martinot who replaced Julien Deyres and guitarist Nicolas Alberny who replaced Arnaud Pontacq. The EP features a remake of “Earth Pus” which first appeared on the band’s debut “Neurotripsicks” as well as a totally unrecognized acoustic flamenco version of it called “Earth Pus: Salvation.” Add to that another flamenco remake of “Blackout” from the band’s second album “Leading Vision” which is called “Blackout: Renewed Souls.”

Also included is a remake of Cynic’s “Textures” from their classic “Focus” album and last but not least is the 15 minute plus title track which is the only new track on the EP but substantially different than anything the band had cranked out at this time because it’s by far the most progressive track of the band’s career. However don’t let the length scare you away as the band lost none of its intensity and vibrant use of technical wizardry however it does wend and wind through slower passages as well as choppy prog fueled time signature frenzies.

Given the diverse nature of this album, it’s very much a collection of disparate tracks rather than a bonafide release but the title track alone could’ve served as an EP in its own right with the other four simply serving as bonus tracks except for the fact they are pretty damn good in their own right. While i’d hate to hear an album’s worth of cover songs, just one select cut from a stellar band works quite well here as it showcases the band’s metal inclinations beyond their established sound. Likewise the band flirted with flamenco on previous albums but only as a hidden backdrop that would reveal itself during the scant times when the metal bombast dropped out. Here it’s the whole enchilada and showcases the band’s ability to transverse the larger swath of guitar-oriented musical genres.

The epic title track also features some clean vocals which the band never really explored before this point in its career but the track is mostly choppy staccato-rich guitar riffing with the usual death metal accoutrements including the guttural growls however even on this one there are traces of flamenco rhythms and the progressive touches remind a bit of Opeth as well as Cynic and Atheist. The flamenco touches come to the forefront at the end of the track as the metal is dropped for a smooth ending. This one is easy to miss in the GOROD canon as it’s the band’s only EP thus far and up until now i’ve avoided it myself but that was a mistake as the EP is actually quite brilliantly executed and a nice little excursion from the band’s regularly scheduled program.