Alcatraz Line up: 2018

Founded in 2014 as a tribute to former Death vocalist/guitarist Chuck Schuldiner, the American death metal outfit Gruesome has so far released one full-length album and two EPs that tap into the rich vein of inspiration that typifies Death’s innovative catalogue. Everything about Gruesome breathes Death: from the music to the band logo and even the Ed Repka artwork but that doesn’t detract from the quality of their debut ‘Savage Land’ (2015), with tracks focusing explicitly on Death’s ‘Scream Bloody Gore’ and – primarily – ‘Leprosy’ albums. Let’s hope that the EPs ‘Dimensions of Horror’ (2016) and ‘Fragments of Psyche’ (2017) are the precursor to a new full-length. It will be interesting to see whether they develop their own style or decide to emulate later-era Death releases. They haven’t toured in Europe that often so it’s a special treat to welcome them to our prison grounds!