Gollum – “The Core”
released April 07, 2009 on Rotten Records
Listening to the debut album from this North Carolina quartet, one feels like Thomas Hutter on the carriage ride to Nosferatu’s castle. At times it’s a real rocky road, down a path obscured by murk and mist, with unexpected twists and turns along the way (the guitars in 8, the female vocals in both that and 3, the midalbum psychedelic break, “Amor Fati”). It makes for a most interesting trip. Keyboards and samples are often employed by vocalist Shawn Corbett, who also commands a wide vocal range, akin to Randy Blythe (Lamb of God), who actually does guest vocals (billed as ‘Silky Johnson’) on “Diggin’,” along with Dixie Collins of Weedeater. The album is dedicated to founding member Hunter Holland, who died after recording the drum tracks and writing most of the lyrics. The band then wrote the rest of the album and intends to continue with newly recruited drummer Seth Long, who played with guitarist Frank Stroehmer in another project. Time will tell just how integral he was to their overall sound, which now tastes like raw Soilent Green.
FCC: 9 (sample only)
Try 1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 10
01. The Calm Before
02. The Core
03. Ominous Winds
04. Blacksmith (Summoning Wrath)
05. Diggin’
06. Amor Fati
07. Darkhorse
08. The Burden Of Ubiquitous Scars
09. Schadenfreude
10. Carven Bones
11. Omens
Rating: 
