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Gongzilla — Thrive
(LoLo LOLO 010-2, 1996, CD)

Thrive Cover art

The sophomore release from the monster-movie Gong offshoot is a real gem. In fact, it surprised me that this slightly altered lineup from the first album is a much more aggressive and sonically challenging unit this time around. This group is Bon Lozaga's baby creature that has metamorphosed into a musical mutant with new recruits Gary Husband (who has worked with  Allan Holdsworth) as well as sound sculpturist David Torn (solo artist and collaborator with David Sylvian). These two augment the core trio (Lozaga, Rowe, and Benoit Moerlen) which first played together on Expresso II. The end result of these musicians' interactions has the balls and drive that were only hinted at on Suffer with a darker edge and some terrific, spacy undertones. I first thought "Say It Loud" was a 70s funk cover with an altered arrangement, but it's in fact one of the bassist's several upbeat  songs. It includes an interesting time changes and street fight scene split into two parts of the track. Lozaga appears to have improved as a soloist, at times Holdsworthian but also with his own shredmaster style. Or maybe I just like more of what he's playing on top of? Bon adds some e-bow texturally to the disc, but it's Torn's subtle sly manipulation, restraint, and control that really takes the project to a higher plane of appreciation. I've had mixed feelings about Husband's drumming with Holdsworth (preferring Chad Wackerman), but here he seems to fit right in. This is the best of Gong's fusion releases since Expresso II.

by Jeff Melton, Published 1997-05-01

Gongzilla's latest release adds guest guitarist David Torn to the quartet of Bon Lozaga (guitar), Hansford Rowe (bass, vocals), Benoit Moerlen (vibes, marimba), and Gary Husband (drums). The result, as you might expect, showcases some skilled and creative guitar work. One could probably do without the two brief vocal appearances; fortunately most of the nine tracks here are completely instrumental and have an overall sound which compares favorably to other work by Lozaga and Torn. The music on Thrive is alternately atmospheric and aggressive, yet consistently mesmerizing, maintaining an often subtle intensity throughout. At times evoking the aura of later Gong-style fusion, at times flirting with spacious, ambient soundscapes, the variations of mood and energy within these pieces make for some uniformly compelling listening. The two guitarists create a collage of loose, slippery leads and dynamic background textures which intertwine with a range of well executed fusion-esque grooves. Moerlen's mallet percussion adds a touch of both rhythmic and melodic color, and Husband's drumming excels in exactly the places where many albums of this type fail. His playing is always thoughtful, never trite, and he may in fact be the unlikely star and prime catalyst on many of these tracks. Delicately inconspicuous in the more introspective moments, Husband becomes impressively inspiring when the band kicks into high gear. Overall, Thrive is a very captivating and enjoyable listen, only leaving one hoping for further collaborations from this lineup. If you've liked anything any of these artists have done in the past, you will almost certainly enjoy this.

by Rob Walker, Published 1997-05-01

Guitarist Bon Lozaga is again teamed up with Hansford Rowe on bass and Benoit Moerlen on vibes and marimba for the latest Gongzilla release. Thrive doesn't have Allan Holdsworth guesting like the first release did, which can be good or bad depending upon your tastes. David Torn steps in to nicely fill the second guitar slot and add some trademark loop effects and washes as well. Don't fret, the Holdsworth connection isn't lost! Veteran IOU drummer Gary Husband is manning the kit for Gongzilla these days. The music is primarily groove-oriented jazzy funk backdrops with lots of different guitar tones on top. The word "smooth" describes the overall atmosphere of the album well. Lozaga and Rowe are the primary songwriters on this effort, and as one might expect from this, the guitar and bass work on the album is the primary musical focus. Sporadic vocals by Rowe break up the instrumental sections well. It's disappointing than Moerlen and Husband don't get to step out a little more. Moerlen's playing is great, but he only appears on a handful of tracks, and mostly in a minor role. His work on "Les Vosges" is especially nice, however. Husband, too, is often just along for the ride, keeping the backbeat going. On the last few tracks, he lets loose a little and adds a lot to "Listen to the Wind" and "Console Warmer." This latter track sounds like it was a studio soundcheck jam that the band decided was a keeper, and it's the closest thing to a rock song on the whole album. It's really good! The guitar and bass work and tones are solid as can be throughout. Mmmm... Mellow... Mmmm... Smooth...

by Mike Grimes, Published 1997-05-01

Filed under: New releases, Issue 12, 1996 releases

Related artist(s): Gongzilla, David Torn, Bon Lozaga, Gary Husband

More info
http://hansfordrowe.bandcamp.com/album/thrive

 

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