Old Man Gloom

Last updated

Old Man Gloom
Old Man Gloom @ Roadburn Festival 2019-04-14 166.jpg
Old Man Gloom performing at Roadburn Festival 2019
Background information
Origin Santa Fe, New Mexico, U.S.
Genres Post-metal, [1] sludge metal [2]
Years active1999 (1999)–present
Labels Profound Lore, Tortuga, Hydra Head
Members Aaron Turner
Santos Montano
Nate Newton
Stephen Brodsky
Past members Caleb Scofield
Luke Scarola

Old Man Gloom is an American post-metal band originally formed in Santa Fe, New Mexico, but now based in Massachusetts. The group, formed by Aaron Turner of Isis and Santos Montano, expanded to become a sort of supergroup in the Boston hardcore and metalcore scene.

Contents

History

First four albums (1999–2004)

In 2001, a year after the release of their first album Meditations in B, the band released two albums simultaneously: Seminar II and Seminar III . For these records, Luke Scarola joined to use electronics. On Seminar II, Stephen Brodsky of Cave In wrote the lyrics for one song, and Jay Randall of Agoraphobic Nosebleed contributed on electronics. On August 24, 2004, Christmas was released.

Inactive years (2004–2011)

Shortly after the release of Christmas in 2004, Old Man Gloom's activity significantly died down. The members insist that the band did not break up or go on hiatus during this time, but for about eight years none of the members' schedules allowed for any writing or recording time.

Aaron Turner's main band Isis released three more studio albums — Panopticon (2004), In the Absence of Truth (2007) and Wavering Radiant (2009) — before breaking up in 2010. During this time Turner also joined, formed or continued work in other projects, including Greymachine, House of Low Culture, Jodis, Lotus Eaters, Mamiffer, Ringfinger and Twilight. Nate Newton's main band Converge also released three more albums — You Fail Me (2004), No Heroes (2006) and Axe to Fall (2009). He also founded the band Doomriders in 2004 and reunited with one of his earlier bands Jesuit in 2011. Caleb Scofield's main band Cave In released one more studio album Perfect Pitch Black (2005) before going on hiatus in 2006, then reunited in 2009 and released White Silence (2011). Scofield, who had never before been the primary writer for his other bands, formed the band Zozobra — whose name was inspired by Old Man Gloom and its third studio album Seminar III: Zozobra — in 2006 after Cave In went on hiatus. Santos Montano briefly joined Zozobra in its early years and also performed with Stephen Brodsky's (Cave In, Converge) new band New Idea Society for a while.

Return, No and The Ape of God (2012–2017)

Spectacle Old Man Gloom chez Ritz PDB -- 3.jpg
Spectacle Old Man Gloom chez Ritz PDB -- 4.jpg
Spectacle Old Man Gloom chez Ritz PDB -- 2.jpg
Old Man Gloom performing in 2015

Old Man Gloom abruptly ended an eight-year period of silence by announcing that they would resume touring and release a new album titled No in 2012. The announcement gave little notice that a new album would be coming out and the album itself received minimal promotion. The announcement was made on May 1, 2012, on the band's official Facebook page that No would receive a wide release on June 26 through Hydra Head Records, or fans could pick up a copy of the album at Old Man Gloom's upcoming tour dates, beginning the following day on May 2, 2012. [3] [4] The band and label tried to keep the new album quiet before the announcement, but in 2011, an Easter egg in a magazine advertisement hinted at a new Old Man Gloom being released in 2012, and producer Kurt Ballou tweeted about work on the new album, but later retracted his statement by claiming it was a late April Fools' Day joke. [5] [6]

In late 2014, Old Man Gloom announced the release of a follow-up to No titled The Ape of God for November 11, 2014, through Profound Lore Records and also the release of an unofficial documentary directed by Kenneth Thomas about the band's history leading up to (but not including) The Ape of God titled Here is a Gift for You. [7] [8] The band promoted the album with online streams of "Predators" and "The Lash" prior to the official release date. [9] For several months, The Ape of God was marketed and promoted as a single album, but the weekend before the official release date, Old Man Gloom announced that they were actually releasing two different studio albums both with the name The Ape of God, and that the version of the album sent to the press to review (which also subsequently leaked online) was a "fake" album that featured songs from both albums in a different sequence and edited down to shorter versions. [10] One album, The Ape of God (PFL145) features eight songs in a similar composition to other Old Man Gloom albums, and the other album The Ape of God (PFL145.5) features four songs that are longer and more atmospheric than other Old Man Gloom songs — similar to the band's 2001 albums Seminar II and Seminar III.

A remastered version of Meditations in B was released on April 7, 2015, on Hydra Head Records. The band's first live album (recorded in London at April 3, 2014) was released in early 2016 through Ektro Records.

Death of Caleb Scofield (2018)

On March 28, 2018, Scofield died at the age of 39 in a car accident in New Hampshire, after his car hit a concrete barrier at a high speed. [11] [12] [13] Montano, Turner and Newton agreed to keep performing as Old Man Gloom to honor Scofield following his death. [14] In a Facebook statement, Montano said:

In a quiet moment, in a very loud room filled with more people than I could count, Aaron and I were sitting across from one another, totally drained, zombiefied, just looking at each other. He leaned towards me, and I leaned towards him. He quietly said 'Santos, do you still want to do Old Man Gloom?' My stomach dropped, and I responded 'we have to now. We don't have a choice.' We spoke to Nate and he agreed. I don't know what it means, or how it will manifest itself, but we will continue and do our best to honor Caleb, and that means we must exist. I share this very private moment because I truly feel after this week you are all a part of our story so much more than I ever realized. Thank you for showing us that. We love you all. [14]

The band enlisted long-time friend and Scofield's Cave In bandmate Stephen Brodsky to perform with them at the late bass player's tribute show on June 13, 2018, in Boston, MA. [15] [16]

Prior to Scofield's death, Old Man Gloom planned to record a new album in 2018. Unbeknownst to Scofield and Newton, Montano and Turner also had secret plans to record a second new album as a duo (a "sequel" to Meditations in B) and release it on the same day. About the secret plans, Mantano said: "Yes, we were going to troll ourselves this time. I mean, half of ourselves. We figured it was the only place left to go, to fully shit on our own bandmates AND the general public with more gloom." [17] In December 2018, Old Man Gloom began working on a new studio album with Brodsky, who was also reported as becoming an official member of the band. [15] [16]

Members

Current members

Former members

Timeline

Old Man Gloom

Discography

Studio albums

Extended plays

Live albums

Music videos

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cave In</span> American rock band

Cave In is an American rock band that formed in 1995 in Methuen, Massachusetts. The band's lineup solidified with the 1998 release of Until Your Heart Stops through Hydra Head Records, and their early albums were prominent in the metalcore scene. The band later experimented with other genres, receiving mainstream recognition for their 2003 RCA Records album Antenna and its lead single "Anchor," which had an overall alternative rock style. The group went on hiatus in 2006, later reforming in 2009 with the release of the Planets of Old EP, followed by the White Silence LP in 2011, both of which saw a return to Cave In's earlier and heavier sound.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nate Newton (musician)</span> American musician

Nate Newton is an American musician. He is the bassist and backing vocalist of the hardcore punk band Converge, the rock band Cave In and also the guitarist and singer in Old Man Gloom and Doomriders. Newton has also been a guitarist and vocalist in Jesuit and bassist in Cavalera Conspiracy.

<i>Jupiter</i> (Cave In album) 2000 studio album by Cave In

Jupiter is the second full-length album by alternative metal band Cave In, released in summer 2000. It marked a change in the band's style, as this album saw the band move away from its previous hardcore sound by starting to experiment with more elements of space rock and psychedelic rock. "Big Riff" was the only song on the album to contain screamed vocals.

<i>Christmas</i> (Old Man Gloom album) 2004 studio album by Old Man Gloom

Christmas is the fourth studio album by Old Man Gloom, released in August 2004 by Tortuga Recordings. Aaron Turner, owner of Hydra Head Records and former Isis guitarist and vocalist, described this album in September 2010 as “one of the most engaging projects I have been involved with both musically and visually.”

Zozobra was an American sludge metal band that was first conceived by Caleb Scofield during 2006. He was joined by Santos Montano for the band's first release, Harmonic Tremors, in 2007. Early Zozobra recordings had a lot in common with the experimental-hardcore of Old Man Gloom and symbolically shares a synonymous name. Zozobra toured the United States with Isis and Jesu in early 2007.

<i>Harmonic Tremors</i> 2007 studio album by Zozobra

Harmonic Tremors is the first studio album by post-metal band Zozobra. It was released in 2007 on Hydra Head Records.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aaron Turner</span> American musician (born 1977)

Aaron Turner is an American musician, singer, graphic artist, and founder of label Hydra Head Records. He is most widely known for his role as guitarist and vocalist for the post-metal bands SUMAC and Isis, while also participating in several other bands and projects such as Old Man Gloom, Lotus Eaters and Split Cranium, a collaboration with Jussi Lehtisalo of Finnish band Circle who toured with Isis in 2009.

<i>Seminar II: The Holy Rites of Primitivism Regressionism</i> 2001 studio album by Old Man Gloom

Seminar II: The Holy Rites of Primitivism Regressionism is the second full-length album by Old Man Gloom, released in 2001. It was released simultaneously with Seminar III.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Caleb Scofield</span> American musician (1978–2018)

Caleb Mark Scofield was an American musician who was a bassist and singer mostly known for the alternative metal band Cave In, and his own sludge metal band Zozobra. He was killed in an auto accident. Caleb was also a part of the sludge band Old Man Gloom.

<i>Bird of Prey</i> (album) 2008 studio album by Zozobra

Bird of Prey is the second studio album by the American rock band Zozobra. The album was released on August 5, 2008, through Hydra Head Records. Bird of Prey was largely written and performed by Caleb Scofield with Isis member Aaron Harris performing drums. Harris replaces drummer Santos Montano from Zozobra's debut album Harmonic Tremors because he and Scofield had wanted to record together for a while, and Scofield had always envisioned the band with a revolving cast of musicians.

<i>Seminar III: Zozobra</i> 2001 studio album by Old Man Gloom

Seminar III: Zozobra is the third studio album by Old Man Gloom, released in 2001 by Hydra Head Records imprint Tortuga Recordings.

<i>White Silence</i> 2011 studio album by Cave In

White Silence is the fifth studio album by the American rock band Cave In. The album was released on May 24, 2011 through Hydra Head Records. White Silence was listed as one of Decibel magazine's most anticipated albums of 2011.

<i>No</i> (Old Man Gloom album) 2012 studio album by Old Man Gloom

No is the fifth studio album by American rock band Old Man Gloom. Though the album saw a limited release during the group's May 2012 tours, it saw official wide release on June 26, 2012, through Hydra Head Records. No is Old Man Gloom's first studio release since 2004's Christmas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stephen Brodsky</span> Musical artist

Stephen Brodsky is an American rock musician, best known as a member of Cave In, Mutoid Man, New Idea Society and Old Man Gloom. He also has a solo career and is a former member of Converge, Kid Kilowatt, Parasite and Pet Genius.

<i>The Ape of God / The Ape of God</i> 2014 studio album by Old Man Gloom

The Ape of God is the name of three different studio albums released by the American rock band Old Man Gloom—one of which was a "fake" album released promotionally to music critics and subsequently leaked online, and two of which were officially released to the public making up the band's sixth and seventh studio albums. The two publicly released albums were released on November 11, 2014, through Profound Lore Records (digital/CD) and SIGE Records (vinyl)—marking the first time since the band's inception that an album was not released through Tortuga Records and Hydra Head Records. The Ape of God albums were marketed and promoted as a single album for several months, but the weekend before its official release, it was revealed to actually be the name of two separate but identically titled studio albums and was also revealed that the version that some music critics had reviewed and leaked only featured edited-down versions of songs from both albums.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Faith Coloccia</span> American artist and musician

Faith Coloccia is an American artist and musician. She is most known as being the founding member and primary songwriter for the post-rock band Mamiffer. Coloccia has also been a member of Everlovely Lightningheart, Pyramids, House of Low Culture and Split Cranium. In 2009, she co-founded the independent record label SIGE Records with her husband Aaron Turner.

<i>The Deal</i> (album) 2015 studio album by Sumac

The Deal is the debut album by American post-metal band Sumac. It was released on digital and CD formats through Profound Lore Records and on vinyl LP via SIGE Records on February 17, 2015. The album was recorded at Aleph and Litho studios in Seattle, Washington between July and August 2014. The album was mixed at GodCity Studios in Salem, Massachusetts by Kurt Ballou. The artwork was a collaborative effort between Aaron Turner and Faith Coloccia.

Santos Montano is a drummer from Santa Fe, New Mexico. He is known for playing on the first album of the post-metal band Zozobra and for being a founding member and the drummer of post-metal band Old Man Gloom. In addition to his music career, he is working as part of an art department in the movie industry. He has worked for both series productions as well as for movie productions. He has also written one op-ed for Pitchfork.

<i>Final Transmission</i> 2019 studio album by Cave In

Final Transmission is the sixth studio album by the American rock band Cave In. The album was released on June 7, 2019, through Hydra Head Records. Final Transmission is Cave In's first studio album in eight years since 2011's White Silence and marks the final recordings of bassist Caleb Scofield, who died in a car crash a year prior to the album's release. The band promoted the album with online streams of "All Illusion" and "Shake My Blood" prior to its release. It is the final album released by Hydra Head Records before the label folded in 2020, with Cave In's back catalogue being returned to them.

<i>Heavy Pendulum</i> 2022 studio album by Cave In

Heavy Pendulum is the seventh studio album by American rock band Cave In, released on May 20, 2022, through Relapse Records. This is the band's first album with bassist/backing vocalist Nate Newton, though late bassist/vocalist Caleb Scofield still has a presence on the record.

References

  1. ↑ Sacher, Andrew (March 4, 2020). "Old Man Gloom share teaser with new music for new album 'Seminar VIII: Light of Meaning'". BrooklynVegan . Retrieved August 14, 2024.
  2. ↑ Camp, Zoe (March 29, 2018). "Cave In, Old Man Gloom Bassist/Vocalist Caleb Scofield Dead at 39". Revolver . Retrieved August 14, 2024.
  3. ↑ Turney, Danielle (May 1, 2012). "Old Man Gloom ends eight-year hiatus with an emphatic NO". Alarm. Retrieved May 1, 2012.
  4. ↑ Adams, Gregory (May 1, 2012). "Old Man Gloom Return with 'NO'". Exclaim! . Retrieved May 1, 2012.
  5. ↑ "New Old Man Gloom Album Allegedly Due Next Year (Updated)". The PRP. July 20, 2011. Retrieved November 15, 2014.
  6. ↑ Neilstein, Vince (May 16, 2011). "OMG no new Old Man Gloom after all". MetalSucks . Retrieved November 15, 2014.
  7. ↑ Adams, Gregory (August 29, 2014). "Old Man Gloom to Return with 'The Ape of God' LP". Exclaim! . Retrieved November 7, 2014.
  8. ↑ Pessaro, Fred (October 9, 2014). "'Here Is A Gift For You,' an Old Man Gloom Documentary". Noisey. Vice . Retrieved November 15, 2014.
  9. ↑ Pessaro, Fred (October 7, 2014). "Burning the Effigy: Old Man Gloom on Old Friends, Experimentalism and 'The Ape of God'". Noisey. Vice . Retrieved November 7, 2014.
  10. ↑ Childers, Oakland L. (November 13, 2014). "Why Metal Supergroup Old Man Gloom Decided to Screw With the Press". Westword . Voice Media Group . Retrieved November 15, 2014.
  11. ↑ Buja, Melissa; Fortier, Marc; Rosenfield, Michael (March 29, 2018). "'Celebrity of the Family': Musician and Father Identified as Man Killed in Fiery Tollbooth Crash". New England Cable News . NBCUniversal . Retrieved March 31, 2018.
  12. ↑ Houghton, Kimberly (March 29, 2018). "Driver who died in fiery crash at Bedford tolls identified as Bow man". New Hampshire Union Leader . Retrieved March 31, 2018.
  13. ↑ Wedge, Dave (April 3, 2018). "The Boston Hardcore Scene Remembers Cave In's Caleb Scofield, Its Beloved Pioneer". Noisey . Vice . Retrieved April 7, 2018.
  14. 1 2 Thiessen, Brock (April 9, 2018). "Old Man Gloom Issue Heartfelt Statement Following the Death of Caleb Scofield". Exclaim! . Retrieved April 11, 2018.
  15. 1 2 3 Sacher, Andrew (December 17, 2018). "Stephen Brodsky joins Old Man Gloom, who are working on a new album". BrooklynVegan . Retrieved December 17, 2018.
  16. 1 2 3 Neilstein, Vince (December 17, 2018). "Stephen Brodksy (Cave In) Officially Joins Old Man Gloom". MetalSucks . Retrieved December 17, 2018.
  17. ↑ Kennelty, Greg (June 7, 2018). "What Are Old Man Gloom And Mutoid Man's Stephen Brodsky Collaborating On?". Metal Injection. Retrieved June 18, 2018.
  18. ↑ Werkheiser, Seth (November 13, 2015). "Old Man Gloom totally stoked about their new live album". Metal Insider. Retrieved February 21, 2016.
  19. ↑ Neilstein, Vince (February 24, 2015). "Old Man Gloom's Video for 'The Lash' Tells Origin Story of Trolls". MetalSucks . Retrieved February 24, 2015.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.