Old Man Gloom - Meditations In B - CD (2000)

Labels: Tortuga
Review by: Alex Deller

So you’d be forgiven for expecting something a little bit special from this, seeing as members have done or are doing time in the likes of Converge, Isis and Jesuit, three of the heavier hitters in today’s modern hardcore/noisecore scene. True to form they crank out walloping doom-infused noisecore with plenty o’ feedback, hoarse bellows and pummelling guitars that sometimes resemble Will Haven’s circa ‘El Diablo.’ All of this is interspersed with drifting, carefully-sculpted ethereal moments, droning noises and samples effects, making for something that’s maybe akin to a shorter, less epic Neurosis going overboard with the electronics. All of this is as solid as it sounds, a touch throwaway but nevertheless enjoyable, the only MAJOR downside being this band’s obsession with all things gangly-armed and simian, threading ape references throughout and unfortunately ensuring that ‘Meditations In B’ comes across as slightly gimmicky, detracting from the otherwise sinister bludgeon they’d worked so hard to forge.