After an extensive delay, the rabid and hopeful fans sporting various Hydrahead affiliated t-shirts can finally rest. Old Man Gloom's Christmas brings an end to a three year drought since the simultaneous release of full-lengths Seminar II: The Holy Rites of Primitivism and Seminar III: Zozobra back in 2001. The delay is excusable due to the busy schedules of the individuals involved; members Caleb Scofield (Cave In), Nate Newtown (Converge), and Aaron Turner (Isis) keep themselves busy year-round with their primary projects.
Despite the period of dormancy, Old Man Gloom have not strayed from the formula that fans have come to expect from the band. Christmas is comprised of equal parts destructive, abrasive metal and ambient electronic drone. I always felt that an album's opening track is the most important. If you can't grab the listener's attention with the first track, there is no motivation to continue. Fortunately, this is not of concern for Old Man Gloom. "Gift" starts things off and immediately I recall earlier Isis material. Following in similar suit is "Skullstorm," filled with an unrelenting fury of stoner rock and metal accentuated by the coarse screams of Scofield and Newton - think Clutch meets early Cave In.
On the next track, "Something for the Mrs.," Old Man Gloom pulls a complete 180. The song is comprised of nothing more than a simple lulling tone, most likely produced by an organ, and a variety of electronic elements assembled by electronics architect Luke Scarola. And layered over the top are some of the most bizarre samples that I have ever heard; needless to say, they bewildered me. "Sleeping with Snakes" is another jam filled with impressive guitar riffs from the duo of Turner and Newton that caused me to involuntarily head-bang.
"Lukeness Monster, "Accord-o-Matic" and "Close Your Eyes, Roll Back into Your Head" are ambient interludes filled with acoustic guitars, swirling soundscapes, and various organic sounds. The constant fluctuation in styles has always been Old Man Gloom's biggest issue. While it is quite nice to have a band write and execute daring and thought provoking music, the fragmented nature of it all can cause a loss of momentum.
Now we have arrived at my favorite track on the album, "The Volcano." I can't really place my finger on one aspect of this song that makes it superb. All I can say is that the opening sequence builds perfectly - the bass playing of Scofield is fantastic - before the song erupts around the 2:45 mark. The remainder of the song is metal at its best; in particular, the drumming of Santos Montano just after the 6:00 mark is the best I have heard this year, hands down. While it may be nothing overly technical, it fits the moment perfectly and makes me wish I had the skills to duplicate it.
"Sonic Dust" showcases another side of Old Man Gloom as it bares a slight resemblance to post-rock outfits Mogwai and Godspeed You Black Emperor!. "Valhalla" responds in similar fashion to the other heavier tracks, though this one does have a slight stoner/sludge vibe that sets its apart from the others. The album closes with "Christmas Eve Parts I, II, and III," two of which appeared on a three inch mini-CD earlier this year. There is nothing volatile about this track, in fact it reminds me a lot of the mellowed out Isis of late. That's not a bad thing, by the way.
While the music of Old Man Gloom was never accessible by any means, there does seem to be a slight reduction in the ambient experimentation that the band implemented on their previous efforts. This isn't to say that they totally abandoned their attempts to escape traditional song structure, but anyone familiar with their earlier works will likely take notice of the variations.
In the end, it is likely that Christmas will turn some heads from music connoisseurs that enjoy bands that are willing to experiment. On the other hand, I don't see the average metal-head running out to buy up the remainder of the Old Man Gloom catalog; the band just isn't for the stereotypical metal crowd.
