Gore

In 1985 the Dutch town of Venlo gave rise to Gore when ex-Disgust guitarist Pieter De Sury and drummer Martin Van Cleef joined ex-Pandemonium bassist Danny Arnold Lommen, forming one of the decade’s rare influential all-instrumental outfits whose reach would later touch sludge-mongers the Melvins, noise rockers the Jesus Lizard, and instrumental ensembles such as Pelican and Explosions in the Sky. Their first release, the raw and heavily feedback-laden Hart Gore LP, appeared in 1986; Lommen moved to drums with the addition of bassist Rob Frey, after which the band toured widely across Europe and behind the Iron Curtain alongside fringe acts including Swans, Young Gods, and Big Black.

A second album, Mean Man’s Dream, followed in 1987. Earlier friendships with Black Flag members led to a split record pairing several of Gore’s ferocious live cuts with Henry Rollins’ developing spoken-word work. Although their albums contained no vocals, printed lyric sheets were routinely included, supplying bleak commentary on the group’s outlook.

By 1988 Peel Sessions appearances and a New Music Seminar showcase in New York City had raised their profile enough to secure a deal with Megadisc for the double album Wrede/The Cruel Peace. Produced by longtime supporter Steve Albini, the set failed to generate notable sales, and mounting internal tensions soon dissolved the band.

A largely disputed reunion surfaced in 1991 when Frey revived the Gore name and single-handedly wrote and produced the double LP Lifelong Deadline in 1992, followed by Mest/694'3 in 1996. The next year brought the limited promo CD Slow Death, apparently closing the chapter, yet the group’s legacy endured through the many acts it inspired and received fresh attention via Southern Lord’s 2008 reissue of the first two albums with bonus tracks.