After 10 months of anticipation, Texas’ explosive metal trio Gore has returned with an EP titled A Bud That Never Blooms, following the success of their savage debut single Pray. In that time, the band – led by vocalist Haley Roughton and driven by the ferocious guitar work of Alex Reyes – has seen their popularity soar.
When Reyes first learned that Roughton, a fellow member of the Houston metal scene, was starting a new project, he was eager to be a part of it. “I knew she had that fire in her,” Reyes says. “I wanted to be around that.”
A self-professed djent enthusiast with a love for low, chugging guitar tones, Reyes was handpicked to complement Roughton’s intense and haunting vocals. Interestingly, despite the deep tunings often associated with their genre, Reyes chose to leave behind his seven-string Ibanez AZ for the recording of A Bud That Never Blooms. Instead, he tracked the EP using co-producer Caleb Freihaut’s 25.5” Balageur Espada, tuned to drop D, with the powerful Quad Cortex processor pushing the tuning down to drop F and even an octave lower to drop C.
“The lower I go on other modelers, the more body and grit I lose from my tone,” Reyes explains. “Especially with high-gain amps, it can be tricky. But with the Quad Cortex, I can stack amp heads to get the best of both worlds. One amp handles the body, and another one controls the gain, treble, and mids. I usually run a 50-watt EVH head with EL34 tubes.”
Gore recently completed their first live shows, supporting Within The Ruins, and Reyes’ weapon of choice was his Ibanez Premium AZ 242 BC, equipped with Seymour Duncan Hyperion pickups, a floating Gotoh tremolo, and gold hardware. As for the heavy lifting? That was left to the Quad Cortex.
“It’s much more practical,” Reyes explains. “I use a noise gate, Horizon Device’s Precision Overdrive, and a pitch shifter in front of the amps. It’s gnarly and disgusting.”
Pitch harmonics, a signature element of Reyes’ playing style, play a huge role in his sound. He prefers tight string gauges, like the 11-52 sets, that allow him to dig in without being too resistant to squeals. “I remember trying to do pinch harmonics on a 30” Dunable guitar in the studio,” he recalls. “It was nearly impossible! My fingers were all torn up from trying!”
Reyes believes in the importance of collaborating with producers who bring fresh perspectives to the songwriting process. For Gore, that’s been Freihaut and Ben McGuiness. “Music is fluid,” he explains. “There’s never just one way to do things. Ego shouldn’t get in the way. We loved what we created, but we wanted the songs to be the best they could be, not what’s best for any individual musician.”
He continues, “Every song we’ve written has started with a solid chord progression. For instance, ‘Doomsday’ has a progression that’s so haunting, it really sets the tone for the whole song.”
Reyes cites Veil of Maya and guitarist Marc Okubo as a major influence on his musical approach. “I love how Marc outlines the chord progression with arpeggios in the Mikasa riff. My younger self thought, ‘This is genius!’”
This influence is evident in Gore’s track Angels Like You, where the song begins with a gentle progression, only to be overtaken by Reyes’ aggressive riffing, seamlessly balancing the two elements.
With A Bud That Never Blooms, Gore has crafted an album that combines raw musical intensity with melodic pop hooks, with Reyes’ intricate guitar work at the forefront. Their unique sound is destined for success, even if it’s been crafted at their own, deliberate pace.
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