GHOLD - STOIC (Album Review)

Release date: November 03^rd 2017. Label: Crypt Of The Wizard Records. Format: CD/DD/Vinyl

Stoic - Tracklisting

1.Nothing Dreamt 08:48

2.Blue Robe 03:54

3.Ruptured Earth (Head In Sand) 06:11

4.Faeder Ure 04:12

5.SKHUL V 08:07

6.SKHUL VI 12:09

Members

Alex Wilson: Bass guitar, Piano, Percussion, Vocal

Paul Antony: Drums, Percussion, Programming, Vocal

Oliver Martin: Guitar, Keys, Percussion, Vocal

Review

UK Psych/Sludge Rockers - Ghold - return with their new album - Stoic. This sees the band return with a more offbeat and experimental offering compared to their previous albums. Adapting a more Melvins style approach with their music. Stoic is deliriously heavy with moments of Sludge driven Noise/Doom/Psych Experimental Rock Music allowing Ghold once again to stand out from the crowd.

Opening track Nothing Dreamt is nine minutes of dark twisted sludge/doom metal madness. Even with the song being primarily a Doom/Sludge Metal song it's good to see Ghold embracing a more Post-Punk sound. It allows Ghold to be heavy and restrained at the same time. The vocals from are vastly different from previous albums and the psychedelic noises only offer a brief glimpse in what is to follow.

Second track Blue Robe opens with post-rock/ambient sound with earthly vocals being sung in the background. This is a stark contrast to the opening track even when Ghold start to add heavier strands of music to party. The song has an eighties synth vibe that would feel right at home on a classic Michael Mann film such as Thief or Manhunter. A very gloomy and abstract song that makes you wonder which direction this album is heading into next. This is one of the best tracks on the album. It's not the heaviest but it's quite emotional in places and shows you how daring Ghold are with their music.

Third track Ruptured Earth (Head In Sand) returns Ghold to the forefront of their Doom/Sludge sound but with a more industrialized feel. Not quite Godflesh but it almost goes down that route. The vocals and lyrics work superbly well with the fast-paced and distorted music Ghold create here. There are even a few cool riffs to head-bang to as well.

The second half of the album sees Ghold continue their weird experimental journey into new levels of heaviness for the band with fourth track Faeder Ure being a more doom/drone track that doesn't offer any genuine excitement. Though the album returns to winning ways with the two part combination of SKHUL V & SKHUL VI offering twenty two minutes of finely tuned experimental Doom/Sludge Metal.

It may take some time for the heavy riffs to appear but Ghold expertly build up the anticipation for some of the albums heaviest and standout moments. Ghold have never released the same album twice. Each album they've released so far has all sound so vastly different to each other. it seems Ghold want to explore as many different musical avenues they possibly can.

On this form I hope they carry on as Stoic is perhaps their best album to date. Let’s see what the next album brings..

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Lauren at Rarely Unable for the promo. Stoic is available to buy now on CD/DD/Vinyl via Crypt Of The Wizard Records.

Links:

Official | Facebook | BandCamp

GHOLD - PYR (Album Review)

Release date: May 06th 2016. Label:Ritual Productions. Format: CD/DD/Vinyl

PYR – Tracklisting

1.Collusion With Traitors 11:30

2.Blud 04:59

3.CCXX 08:36

4.Despert Thrang 21:25

Band Members:

Paul Antony

Aleks Wilson

Oliver Martin

Review:

Ghold’s new album sees the band create a heavier and more experimental sound than previous offerings. Their sound is more one of industrial noises merged with heavy doom metal riffs. The album feels it was influenced by industrial legends Godflesh as Ghold expand their sound further into one of more industrial noise but PYR still essentially remains a Doom Metal album.

Ghold have recruited an additional member to their ranks and it allows them to create a more focused sound compared to previous releases. That’s not to say PYR is an easy listen. It isn’t as Ghold drift from moments of Drone, Noise and Experimental Doom which maybe too jarring for some listeners to fully appreciate. The vocal work is what you would expect from Ghold. Loud, brash and quite messy at times but they’re very hypnotic from start to finish.

The four songs on offer: Collusion With Traitors, Blud, CCXX and Despert Thrang will entertain and frustrate in equal measure as Ghold are quite adept at playing familiar style hard rock/metal riffs compared to the more experimental industrial based riffs that appear on Collusion With Traitors and Despert Thrang.

There are parts of PYR that I really love but there are other parts of the album that are too weird even for me. Though that’s the beauty of this album. It dares to be different as Ghold play by their own rules and they don’t care if you like the album or not. They’re creating music for themselves and that’s a brave thing to do.

PYR is perhaps Ghold’s most accomplished work to date and one that is sure to give them more attention within the Rock/Metal world. It may seem I don’t like this album where in fact the opposite is true. I think PYR is a heavy nightmarish take on all things Industrial/Doom Metal. It will mainly appeal to folks who enjoy their music that little bit different. 

Ghold are finally starting to show their true potential and I hope that Ghold will release more challenging albums such as PYR in the future. All in all, PYR is a stunning album.

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Jack at Rarely Unable PR for the promo. PYR is available to buy now from Ritual Productions.

Links:

Facebook | BandCamp