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Well this one is much of the same; if you thought Misogi was the shit and couldn’t be topped, then you’re in for a treat. The album starts with a slow, folk intro / outro complete with traditional instruments like the sitar before swaying into a powerful riff. The transition is smooth and the song is much calmer, but it keeps transitioning before becoming a melodic, thrashfest. The second the snare drum has the floor, I get this cold breeze brushing up the back of my neck – that god damn tin can snare is back. I didn’t like it on the first one and I sure don’t like it here (or anywhere). I guess there’s less of a loud tin sound, so its even less of an issue covered well enough by Katsuji’s frantic drumming style; the man’s quite a beast on the kit. His standard pace is very fast and he likes to mold crazy double bass and snare hits around the rhythm, like meeting the bass and guitar in a crossfire; he knows their every move!

Production is better than last time by a hair because the sound is much warmer, as opposed to being clear but cold. Misogi already feels like an album from the distant past while this one brings on the new decade with fresh tracks and a more mature style. Every track benefits from the blubbery, friendly bass. With Gargoyle, you can really distinguish each band member’s role in the music and whatever more is created by their teamwork. Core instruments aside, traditional string instruments are common once more, like the violin comeback in “Ryuuten No Seinite” going wonderfully with additional falsettos. Kiba's beastly warble style doesn't make the band heavier in the vocal department even for thrash, but the blend between the clean sound and these gruff yells push the heaviness in that direction.

The best and oddest one of the bunch has to be “Naidzukushi,” which hooked me in the first time I heard it and still happens to be my favorite track by the band. While the whole album serves as a portfolio for a thrash band that could very well blend genres into a genre that is very clear-cut, this one track just stole the crown. It immediately starts off with a funky, punkish tune, old school percussion, and police whistles, making me imagine a bunch of teens being chased through Tokyo by some cops after high school (with fast camera editing). The atmosphere in this song is very fun, youthful, and so hilarious that the gang shouts behind Kiba’s cheerful vocals are too good to not follow: “HOOOOOOOOO!” “AHSAY! AHSAY! AHSAY! AHSAY!” The bass is especially groovy in this song and nails the rhythm down while the leadwork is fantastic and fun.

Furebumi took out Misogi with ease; it’s an example of something new topping the old, but it also knew what to fix and capitalized on the success of the debut.