Hyperbole is part of advertising and promotion. Maybe that makes us numb to genuine superlatives like this one: Gold Spire is the most daring death metal band I’ve heard in 2021. The Swedish project formed after Påhl Sundström’s former band Usurpress concluded. Joined by his brother Erik (drums/keyboards), the Sundström duo recruited the talent to make their progressive vision a reality. Heval Bozarslan of Sarcasm and Third Storm seized the microphone as vocalist. They added the talent of progressive rock bassist Petter Broman. Then there’s jazz saxophonist Magnus Kjellstrand, who also adds flourishes of flute.
Gold Spire’s eponymous debut is a strange and wonderful journey of dismal death/doom and golden-tinged progressive jazz. If you’re uncertain how those disparate sounds share sonic space, skip forward to “Headless Snake” or “Skull Choir.” The band summons storm clouds and sunlight. The tracks that aren’t rife with distortion and Bozarslan’s growls aren’t just pensive interludes. They are treated with the same care and detail as the album’s boldest genre-bender, “Fetid Waters.” If you like all eras of Opeth, you will succumb to Gold Spire’s extraordinary creations. The band is an inspired melting pot of influences and creative impulses that gives death/doom a welcome stylistic revision.
“It has been almost 2 years in the making, but finally our debut album will see the light of day,” the band shares. “When we first started out we had this vision, but we were unsure if we’d be able to pull it off. That is why exposing it to the world is both intriguing and a bit nerve-racking. But now it’s your turn: grab a cold one, put your feet up and let it run from start to finish.”
Press play and surrender to the album’s otherwordly skull choirs. The debut album releases November 5th from Chaos Records.