Given how long it’s been between Car Bomb‘s last album and their most recent EP, it would make sense if you thought guitarist Greg Kubacki would need all the time in the world to craft and release the debut for his solo project, the incredibly named Sun Guts.
Thankfully, whatever fuel Kubacki is using to power his otherworldly riffs is exceptionally high-yield – the guy must be using portals or space diamonds or something. Less than a year after Car Bomb’s highly acclaimed EP Tiles Whisper Dreams, we’re here deciphering yet another batch of metal tunes that sound like they were made for Yautjas, Vortiguants, and Xenomorphs.
That is to say it’s utterly alien, and of course, we mean that as a compliment. A planet sized complement.
Kubacki has always maintained clear, consistent sense of vision for his projects, from Car Bomb to Xytechra. Even when he’s deliberately discombobulating the audience with uranium-enriched guitar sounds, there’s a strong emphasis on visual tie-ins, conceptual coherence, and purposeful progression through the contrasting dynamics.
You can expect similar consistencies with Sun Guts, but what makes Kilonova special in the face of an already spectacular collection of musical works is that this one just feels directly like an extension of Kubacki himself. There’s less friction here, and a larger embrace of his weirdly beautiful sense of harmony. In Car Bomb, these fascinations appear briefly, but always wriggle their way back into the mathematical mosh pits – that’s what gives Meta and Mordial their charm.
With Sun Guts, they’re allowed way more breathing room, and ultimately they become Kilonova‘s signature element without compromising an iota of the record’s sludgy, inexorably momentum. Whether you’re waiting for new Car Bomb or you’re just looking for fresh sounds in heavy music, Sun Guts is sure to satisfy.
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