Gold Spire - Gold Spire

Angry Metal Guy

Coming off the back of a run of awarding three 4.0s in a row, a run that will likely see me fired—or at least badly mauled—by a certain helmet-wearing Ape, can the last-minute pickup of a post-death doom album, sporting Kenny G saxophone antics, save my fledgling career as a music journalist?¹ Swedish quintet Gold Spire comprises former members of the now-defunct prog-death outfit Usurpress, as well as past and present members of Sarcasm, Obskyr and, crucially, Third Storm, the very first band I reviewed for this here site, meaning there would be a certain pleasing irony if Gold Spire‘s debut prevents my firing. Come on, let’s see whether this blend of death doom, progressive post-metal and … lounge jazz does the trick, shall we?

Gold Spire sounds like what I imagine would happen if compatriots Exgenesis were booked to play a London Soho cabaret club, draped in crushed velvet hangings, each table sporting a small art deco lamp, and the band is asked if they couldn’t just do a little something with their sound to appeal to the usual punters. Gold Spire gives us everything you might expect from death doom,² whether it’s Usurpress‘ Påhl Sundström churning out crushing, glacial, feedback-laden riffs, the gravelly, roared vocals of Third Storm‘s Heval Bozarslan or Petter Broman’s thick, resonant bass. The drums, courtesy of Påhl’s brother Erik, are, by degrees, progressive and mesmeric, while there is also a genuine post-metal vibe to some of the material too, like the opening of “Gloria,” as cascading melodies roll over each other on the keyboards (also courtesy of Erik Sundström), set to gentle percussion.

Gold Spire by GOLD SPIRE

It’s just that, in addition to all that, there’s this saxophone. It isn’t doing what the saxophone of, say, early Ephel Duath did, screaming and wailing alongside the guitars either. Instead, it’s genuinely closer to a Kenny G chillout session. It’s also deployed in different ways, often alongside the more laidback post-metal of the record, as on “Gloria” and “Husk of God,” but also sometimes interwoven with the doomier material, like on sections of “Skull Choirs” and the filthy buzzing rumble of “Fetid Waters.” Those latter sections represent the much more interesting and successful use of saxophonist and flautist Magnus Kjellstrand but they also represent a lesser portion of his contribution to Gold Spire. Often, Kjellsstrand is allowed—or directed, I know not which—to noodle away over more delicate and atmospheric post-metal stylings, like album closer “The Wayfinder.”

And therein lies the rub. There is an undeniable promise and a desire to offer something genuinely different—death doom jazz—which I’m totally here for, as a whole, Gold Spire meanders a little. Its highs are outstanding, like “Fetid Waters,” the pummelling “Headless Snake” and the aforementioned “Gloria,” where melodic post-metal crashes into more punishing doom and the sax is allowed free rein to explore the spaces in between. “The Old Bridge,” which is solid, if unremarkable, death doom fare, feels slightly out of place and like it would perhaps fit better on a Usurpress b-sides album, with the more progressive elements of Gold Spire‘s sound only appearing in the last 30 seconds of a five and a half minute track. Sadly, on other tracks, the throwaway intro, the excellently-titled but offensively inoffensive “Husk of God” and, ironically, on “The Wayfinder,” Gold Spire loses its way. The music is allowed to ramble, somewhat aimlessly, lacking apparent destination and shorn of the edge and grit, which the band proves elsewhere that it undoubtedly possesses.

It’s hard not to be impressed by the sound on show, however. Mixed by Lawrence Mackrory and Erik Sundström, with mastering by Mackrory also, Gold Spire sounds smooth and lush, flowing like liquid gold in its more languid passages (“Husk of God”) before rearing up to strike with sonorous fury when it needs to (“Headless Serpent” and “Skull Choirs”). For a debut, Gold Spire is hugely promising but the band has not perfected its craft yet. When they hit their strongest stride, on “Fetid Waters” and “Gloria,” they seamlessly meld the two sides to their sound, slipping effortlessly between mellow and progressive saxophone-driven post-metal and something more thunderous. Elsewhere, however, they lean too hard into a slightly unstructured and aimless jazz lounge vibe. Engaging, progressive, crushing and imperfect, I am excited to see where Gold Spire go next but they need to hone their wayfinding skills a little.

Will a 3.0 save my overrating ass from the wrath of Steel Druhm? Time will tell.³

Rating: 3.0/5.0
DR: 8 | Format Reviewed: 293 kbps mp3
Label: Chaos Records
Websites: chaos-records.bandcamp.com/album/gold-spire | facebook.com/goldspire.ua
Releases Worldwide: November 5th, 2021

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