Gaping Chasm – Ergospective (Digital/CD Album – Aliens Production)
It’s been years since I last heard of Gaping Chasm. Driven by Czech artist Roman Petro, aka ‘Ergo’-also known from Anima Mundi and once a journalist for Crewzine-this album compiles a selection of older demo recordings and rare tracks.
The album plays like a trove of unearthed, long-forgotten pieces. Its style and influences strongly recall the early years of Skinny Puppy, but especially Mentallo & The Fixer. Expect dark EBM built on relentless sequences and pounding rhythms, layered with distorted vocals. Among the chaos, there are truly brilliant moments to be found, including a striking instrumental piece reminiscent of Benestrophe.
This release offers several outstanding examples of high-caliber EBM, though it also includes a few less essential tracks that feel more like they round out the collection. (Rating:7½).
Listen to “Are You Ready Follows”:
About Gaping Chasm
Gaping Chasm is the project of Roman Petro, known as “Ergo”, based in Prague, Czech Republic. Petro is also known for his project Anima Mundi and, during the 1990s, for the English-language electrozine, mail-order catalogue, and tape label Crewzine, based in Slovakia.
Gaping Chasm released “…Life And Death…”, “…Paroxysm…”, and “Reflection” on Crewzine in 1995, followed by “Retrospective” in 1996. After a long hiatus, the project returned on Aliens Production with “Fragments Of War” in 2006, and again in 2025 with the album “Desire” and the compilation “Ergospective”, which gathers older demo recordings and rare tracks.
Support Side-Line
More people read Side-Line than ever, and there is still no paywall and no advertising. Readers pay for it instead - from $5 a month.
Why we ask
Advertising revenues across the media are falling fast. Unlike many news organisations we have not put up a paywall, and we refuse to add annoying advertising, so we need to ask for your help. Side-Line’s independent journalism takes time, money and hard work to produce, and we do it to push the artists we like, who are equally fighting to survive.
Handled by PayPal.
I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.
