Godzilla In The Kitchen - 2022 - Exodus

(39:54; Argonauta Records)

Track list:
1. Is 3:22
2. The Future of Mankind 8:16
3. Forced By 3:27
4. The King of Monsters 6:39
5. Because 6:31
6. Everything That Has Been Given 7:36
7. Will Be Taken Away 4:03

Line-up:
Eric Patzschke - guitars
Simon Ulm - bass
Felix Rambach - drums


Prolusion.
German band Godzilla in the Kitchen started out a bit more than a decade ago, and released their initial self-titled album back in 2015, with a remastered edition of that production following in 2020. The band had a spell of inactivity at some point too, but they decided to become active again a few years back and in the fall of 2022 their second album "Exodus" was released through Italian label Argonauta Records.

Analysis.
Godzilla in the Kitchen is a band that fundamentally exists on the border between progressive rock and progressive metal, with the intensity perhaps being a bit more in the former of these but with occasional lapses into metal territories as part of the totality. To the point and to an extent that a case can be argued for both classifications.

This second album of theirs is an instrumental affair, and the material here is very much built up around either being compositions that explore a gradual development from careful openings to a more bombastic conclusion or creations that explore a bit more of an ebb and flow approach within that former context. This is done in a relatively easygoing manner, as this doesn't come across as a band that is out to explore landscapes of a more challenging or avant oriented nature. Instead I'd describe the approach and execution here as a gradual and logical affair.

The gentler parts of the compositions come with just a little bit of a post-rock oriented touch at times, and given the structure of the compositions that connects rather firmly with a post-rock orientation that is a natural fit to the landscapes explored here. That the songs will have a bit of a psychedelic touch at times, especially in more intermediate sections, is just as natural, and the dividing line between post-rock and psychedelic rock can of course be rather obfuscated at times too.

The fully developed aspects of the compositions are the ones that add a harder progressive rock touch to the proceedings, with the more intense parts of these also stretching over to progressive metal territories. Occasional stoner rock elements will be added to some of these parts too, an element that adds a more vibrant and tension filled element to the arrangements. Dirty riff driven parts, groove-oriented patterns and majestic surges are all parts of the totality when we enter these parts of the landscapes explored.

For my sake I do find that some of the songs are a bit more engaging than others here, and that the second half of the album is the one containing the material that makes most of an impression. If that is due to getting used to the landscapes explored by the band taking a bit of time or if my impression that these latter songs are a bit more accomplished and refined in nature is hard to tell, as the differences here are subtle at best. The album as a whole does strike me as more of a niche production though, at least as regarded from a progressive rock point of view.

Conclusion.
With "Exodus" we get a concise production where the compositions explore the development from gentler progressive rock territories towards a more dramatic progressive hard rock and progressive metal conclusion either by way of gradual development or by more of an ebb and flow approach. Subtle flavoring from post-rock, psychedelic rock and stoner rock are used throughout in these instrumental escapades, and the landscapes explored come across as very distinct. A production to seek out by those curious about instrumental progressive rock explored in a somewhat different manner.

Olav "Progmessor" Björnsen, January 2023

Links:
https://www.godzillainthekitchen.de/
https://www.argonautarecords.com/