ALBUM REVIEW: Gilded Form – Gilded Form
Cross continent collaborations are a common occurrence in the modern age. The latest addition to this extensive list is GILDED FORM, a Dutch/American trio made up of Nick Millevoi (guitar), Otto Kokke (synthesizer) and Rene Aquarius (drums); all three musicians have been involved with a slew of underground bands such as DEAD NEANDERTHALS, IMPERIAL CULT, PLAGUE ORGAN, CRYPTAE and more, and now the trio come together as GILDED FORM to explore the stripped back, spiritual, ambient side of stoner doom. The sheer vastness of the oceans between them have been channelled into a deeply meditative and spacious debut album that seeks to entrance you in its hypnotic minimalism.
Inspired by bands such as EARTH and BOHREN & DER CLUB OF GORE, this, their single song, self-titled debut album invites you to sit back, ponder and reflect as their waves of introspective minimalism wash over you. This meditative and uplifting journey transports you to the outer realms of your consciousness; you’re actively encouraged to completely lose yourself in your deepest thoughts as each individual note from Millevoi’s guitar rings out like a glorious ray of sunshine.
Gilded Form embraces vintage psychedelics alongside a stripped back drone sound. With the aim of taking away superfluous instrumentation, the song has an abundance of space. With Aquarius’ drums and percussion being limited to kick drums and occasional hi-hat and cymbal brushes, the main kick’s steady beat feels shamanic, which aides in the meditative vibe of the music. The majority of the background space is filled with sumptuous synth layers from Kokke, with the occasional use of lone piano notes made to drone into the ether.
There is also a grandiose element to the song, especially with the synthesiser. Throughout the song they continue to mount up, sounding organ-like in the process. They take on the role of guiding you through this grand meditation, whereas the guitar notes keep you grounded. Ultimately, the song facilitates a spiritual experience; if you were to put it in a playlist of meditation or new age shamanism tracks, it wouldn’t sound out of place. Gilded Form’s gentle flow and slow evolution injects some refreshing psychedelia back into drone and ambient music.
Despite the song’s positives there are a couple of things that detract from it. Occasionally you find yourself actively seeking out a moment of something else; the main motif dominates the first 30 minutes and while the synths swell and evolve, the lack of drum movement and lack of presences in the mix keeps Gilded Form rigidly static. As the song goes on you just want a few moments of variation so that the main motif is more satisfying when it comes in. This also applies to the guitar; you may just need something slightly different every four repetitions or so just to make the first half an hour more interesting.
Even so, Gilded Form is truly ambient drone in the style of EARTH to its core. Its not until about half an hour through this monolithic piece that there is any variation from the theme, with a PINK FLOYD sounding solo from Millevoi. With the main motif being the song’s focus for its majority, the minimalism is ultimately something to be admired. As is the case with a lot of ambient and drone, it can be inaccessible for the average listener; it takes a certain type of person to truly appreciate the art form of riding on the same slow melody or riff for extended periods of time. However, there is a peaceful accessibility about GILDED FORM’s composition that should appeal to those looking to escape the realities of the world for 40 minutes.
This first effort from this Dutch/American trio is an interesting one. Having psychedelic and minimalism in the same sentence seems strange until you listen to GILDED FORM; moving away from the strange distorted atmospheres of bands like SUNN 0))), the trio present an alternative form of drone music that by its very nature is a lot more accessible. While minimalism isn’t for everyone and can be quite jarring in a frantic world, GILDED FORM offer 40 minutes of escapism that will grow on you the more you listen to it.
Rating: 7/10
Gilded Form is set for release on December 1st via Burning World Records.