GLDN stated that he wasn’t done yet and needed to inflict more blood-soaked wares on the unsuspecting audience in 2022. Some more unspeakable and poorly constructed things from the same bitter well? Presumably.
Soit!1 As we say in French!
So, here’s to another round of messy debauchery. For those in the know, RMR already covered the New York-based band earlier in the year on their EP First Blood and we weren’t entirely impressed. To say the least. And now Hemophilia got sent our way. Vampiric blood drain in action, that kind of thing.
Interestingly, this second attempt at fame in one single year sounds a tad more promising than the first confused offering. Gone are grandiose descriptions of what deranged wisdom GLDN thinks to convey. And in come some notions of humility – and some true anger, methinks. At the same time, Nicholas Golden dispenses some dystopian visions of his own. A new style making its appearance? I would not go as far, but at least there’s some innovation ongoing on this Hemophilia disk.
And again, it’s telling. The cover songs – Animal (Anti-Nowhere League) and #1 Crush (Garbage)2 – ring the strongest on Hemophilia. Whereas the remixes and originals again lag miles behind where they should be. In other words, our take on First Blood got confirmed all over again. There is that musical whiplash full of hidden rage that could lead to really disturbing and indeed powerful blurbs of excellence. But yet again, the moment GLDN take on the fan crowd by themselves, everything kinda becomes leaky and weak. To add insult to injury, the blood-soaked iconography on full display won’t improve a thing solely by itself. You need both, those disturbing images AND some powerful music, to make an impression. And that’s just not there.
But the merciless RMR review bots nonetheless found some promising examples on Hemophilia. For instance, the screamy Suicide Machine got pretty good grades after all. To the point that some of the gang here let it play on full repeat for a few turns. Or Half-Life and Six Feet Under found some attention with their disturbing undertones. And that’s definitely one step up in our esteem for this outfit. Albeit that we’re missing the power and oomph the covers brought to the turntable. So, there are still vast distances to traverse until all that missing juice will finally find and hopefully dazzle the audience.
Nicholas Golden, you’re asking why everybody shuns you in Animal? You know, the song you stole from someone else. Well, just look at yourself. For now, your stuff is a trainwreck in slow motion. Yet, you (probably) have the goods to make it in the Darkwave / Industrial Punk section of metal’s electronica-polluted noisome underground. But for that, way more substance and some very own, crunchy ideas need to grow on those anemic whitened bones that are currently on offer.
Oh, and by ‘crunch’ I don’t mean gruesome. That’s cruelty without purpose. And that definitely ain’t working too well. Success means real ideas that come with powerful execution. Just throwing a ton of rage onto a mixing table and winging it won’t get you any brownie points in this merciless music industry thing. In other words, the ambition and talent indeed exist @ GLDN. But the outcome landed way down South from where it should be whenever there’s no outside help.
Now, get yourself a producer, a decent studio to record in, and someone who knows to mix and master really well. That should may just do the trick. Once done, come again, we might even be watching out for it.
Ed’s note: And have some Marilyn Manson. A logical progression of these dire beginnings? Perhaps.
Record Rating: 3/10 | Label: Self-Released | Web: Facebook (band)
Release Date: 7 October 2022