Grievous Practioners
Deep in the heart of London, two men are making more noise with a drum kit and a bass guitar than many would have thought possible. Not only is their flagrant, raucous doom entirely loud as fuck, but it is also administered with such conviction and attention to rhythm and groove that, despite the heavy experimental infusions that see more changes of pace than prime time on the M25, their latest full-length proves to be an incredibly fluid listening experience. Taking elements of early Melvins and Primus and dragging them unceremoniously through barbarous wastelands of reverberated nastiness can only end one way, and thus Ghold's primal grip on the world becomes absolute. Through ultra-distorted bass lines and cavernous vocal hollering do they carve out their crepuscular existence, skulking in the gloom whilst peddling clamorous ruination to all and sundry.
One key element of their sound is the way the music revolves around the naturalistic unison of Aleks Wilson's cacophonous low-end rumblings and Paul Antony's furiously creative drumming; there may only be two of them, but upon experiencing Of Ruin it could just as easily be five. From softly rendered notes to strident subterranean growls, the bass fulfils its pivotal role as the dynamic keystone in the band's formidable backline, working alongside the imposing percussion to create an entity that is feral yet tight and expertly controlled; progressive yet effortlessly absorb-able.
Despite the openly abstract approach of the album and the heavily exploratory facet of Ghold's sound, nothing ever truly feels like a directionless, freeform jam opener Saw the Falling captivates rather than confuses, entering with barely a whisper before getting stuck into some seriously mean and ritualistic sludge metal. The pace not only shifts regularly throughout, but does so with a remarkably natural ebb and flow that catalyses the organic feel and rhythmic strength that is found in such abundance here. All Eyes Broke lapses into near-silence at one point before morphing into a red-blooded mass of overdriven bass and palpitating groove, while Partaken Incarnate's unrelenting stomp is catapulted into chaos as the unhinged dual vocal bellowing channels the obsidian ramblings of early Nick Cave, reborn in a well of doom and unfathomable despair.
The remarkable Odic Force may be the longest composition here, but it certainly wastes no time in erupting in a burst of energy before abruptly reverting back to the funeral gait that dots the album so sporadically. The feeling of inescapable devastation is intensified here by feedback-induced, apocalypse-announcing sirens, and only obstreperous closing number Rid The Gleam can pull the album back from its esoteric meanderings and its abject refusal to conform to anything remotely resembling standard song structure.
Make no mistake: Of Ruin is a remarkable feat; the brazen, pounding chaos becoming an entity that is equal parts ambitious, insatiable, and downright indulgent, with a fistful of ideas so well executed that Ghold's inherently kinetic life-force and incessant evolution takes their avant-garde leanings to new heights, whilst somehow managing to sound more focussed than ever before; a reinvention of sorts that is both complex and free-flowing in equal measures. For those familiar with the band's previous releases, this is a culmination of everything they have achieved so far and yet so much more and it takes a mere two individuals to create something so delectably crushing that it will surely have bands with twice their number gaping in awe. If label-mates 11 Paranoias craft their doom in a darkened basement surrounded by insidious haze and occult imagery, Ghold are dwellers of hell itself, calling up from the depths and entirely comfortable in their surroundings. They have not only released one of the most experimental and intriguing doom albums of the year so far, but also one of the best. Having already had the fortune of sharing stages with some significant peers, Of Ruin looks set to push the band to even further, and much deserved, success.