Gloom – Gloom EP (Self-Released)
Sunday, 29th June 2014
A pretty cool thing DC’s Gloom having going for themselves…the name has some persuasion, the songs get in and out, and the presentation is that of a professional band. Of course, there are a lot of unsigned bands who present themselves much better than signed bands, so consider that a bit of a moot point, but when getting down to the nuts and bolts of Gloom, they’re going to be a factor in the Eastern extreme metal arms race. Eastern United States, that is. (Easy there.)
Six cuts fill up the EP, one of which is a pretty funny out-of-tune trumpet intro of 2001: A Space Odyssey. Levity at its finest. From there, the EP’s full-bodied production (courtesy of Wretched drummer Marshall Wieczorek) gives these jams the heavy-duty foundation in which to operate. The subsequent extremity found on “Entity” and “Iron Tongue” are blistering slabs of somewhat blackened death, yet it’s the tempered and ominous hum of “Unrequited” and the sub-Southern swagger-turned-blast-a-thon of “Erotema” that should resonate the most with the unclean and lean throng who have been gravitating toward sludge realms more and more these days.
As has been run into the ground on this very site, sometimes a quick, efficient five or six songs has more value than a full-length double in running time. This certainly applies for Gloom, who may or may not flame out should any of their releases expand upon the running time found on this EP. For now, gobbing up these six songs shouldn’t much of an issue for any extreme neophyte or veteran.
