Golgotha Remains - Adorned in Ruin
Dear Ten GK
I hope that this is readable and that you can type this up. I am six months shy of weekly computer access. I also severed my finger last week after a brawl broke out in E-block. I think it was Dianne Draper that had something up her sleeve! It’s not too bad. Thank you so much for the opportunity to write for your project. Golgothan Remains is what you sent me, and I have listened to it non stop.
Adorned in Ruin is the second full length from the Sydney black/death metal foursome, and it was released by Brilliant Emperor and Sentient Ruin Laboratories. The cover art immediately put me in the right frame of mind for this, I really like the colour and the skulls look amazing - the ruins could be a church?
The album opens up like an army of ravenous pummelling rhinos charging with Veneration of Carnal Blasphemy. The immediate bass slap is so thick and I wasn’t expecting black metal vocals to hit straight away. What I like about Adorned in Ruin is the vocal interchanges, between black and death and some further surprises. It gives the album a dynamic quality that differs from the straight forward death approach that can get tiresome in a very saturated scene. Just after the two minute mark, you hear the first surprise with a gut wrenching wooooooooo, and it was at this point that I questioned whether the vocalist was an Aussie.
The rhythm section gives the guitars just enough space to delve into some really interesting patterns, reminiscent of Suffering Hour, and that is on great display on A Shrouded Longing for Promethean Fire. Wandering Through Chambers of Deathlike Void opens in a familiar death metal onslaught, but again, you are thrown a pretty quick curveball with an unexpected French spoken word part. This sections opens up the whole album, however it is clever songwriting as it is not leant on for too long before the band get back to smashing your face in.
Opulent Incarnation of Persevering Torment shifts the pace with a clean guitar part before before spewing together a thrasher side to the band. Adorned in Ruin sounds fantastic, especially the filthy bass tone. When I look back at the album cover, I can visualise Adam Martin crouching behind those ruins smacking the shit out of his strings before punting a skull into the clouds. The Malign Hordes of Abhorrence has a menacing doom feel to it but then follows a similar path to its predecessor. It’s an interesting period of the album, with just enough variation to differentiate the tracks while creating a cohesive listening experience.
The highlight for me is Forgotten Lores of Hatred and Bloodshed and the opening riff - it is jaw dropping. Golgothan Remains has led us to this point, and it is a delight to hear. …Of Morbid Blood and Serpent Skins doesn’t really offer anything new, and it is the first moment where I considered if the ideas were running thin. I do prefer the black metal vocals to the growls, and that is highlighted here. I think they sound more convincing to be honest. Void II: Towards the Joyless Elysium is a short atmospheric soundscape track that may have been better placed earlier in the album, while On Lifeless Wings of Malice sums things up nicely as a sort of ‘this is all the things we do well’ track.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this and it further proves how exciting Australian extreme metal is at the moment. I can’t wait to see and hear where Golgothan Remains go next.
Emily Nessie
Dear Emily,
We wholeheartedly agree. A very sick example of another fine Aussie band. Adorned in Ruin also appears on our Rolling Top ten of 2022. You are correct, vocalist Matthieu Van den Brande is of Belgian descent, and is new to the band. Adorned in Ruin was recorded and mixed by Aaron Worboys at Adversary Studios, and mastered by Brad Boatright at Audiosiege. Look after that finger Emily. We look forward to your next review. Great work!