Way back in 2004, sludge metal supergroup Old Man Gloom dropped the pipebomb Christmas upon the masses. (Yes, I made a CM Punk reference) It's been 8 long years since the band has done anything to be considered "active". Yet, out of nowhere OMG announced a random, small scale east coast tour earlier this year. On this tour, the band would be selling vinyl and cassette copies of their newest album, "NO". Longtime fans of Old Man Gloom and the member's respective primary bands, including myself were pleasantly surprised. Those expecting further progression would be wrong, as "NO" is a familiar yet solid slab of sludgy metal/hardcore.
Opener "Grand Inversion" is a ambient piece that can be found on prior material, and leaves listeners that prefer the heavy sludge rather bored. It's not so much that the ambient tracks sprinkled throughout "NO" are bad, as I can appreciate the talent that can go into orchestrating such pieces, but its just not my style. My boredom is quickly interrupted by the monster of a followup track "Common Species", which proceeds to stomp a hole into my face for almost 9 minutes. The production is top notch, as to no surprise the recording was handled by Kurt Ballou at Godcity Studios.
I had the opportunity to catch Old Man Gloom's tour stop in Philadelphia at the First Unitarian Church and heard many of the new songs for the first time. I was a big fan of the shorter songs like "Regain/Rejoin", which hits hard from start to finish and leaves me wanting more. The shared vocals from Aaron Turner (Isis), Nate Newton (Converge, Doomriders), and Caleb Scofield (Cave In) continue to keep me entertained, as they all have distinguished vocal styles. All in all, fans of Old Man Gloom know what to expect and their newest offering will certainly satisfy them. I can do without so many ambient interludes, but you can't please everybody. "NO" is out now via Hydra Head Records.
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