ALBUM REVIEW: Gilded Sorrow – The Obsessed
Originally formed under the name WARHORSE in 1976 – by the American equivalent of Lemmy Kilmister, Robert Scott Weinrich (more commonly known as Wino and formerly of SAINT VITUS and SPIRIT CARAVAN) – in the community of Potomac, Maryland, THE OBSESSED are one of the titans of doom and stoner. Having gone through multiple splits and reunions, the band announced their full time return in 2016 and have been supplying gritty, heavy riffs ever since. Now they return with their highly-anticipated new studio album Gilded Sorrow and with new guitarist Jason Taylor. It’s safe to say that Taylor’s impact and contributions can be felt immediately as Wino has stated that he thinks Gilded Sorrow is “the heaviest thing I’ve ever done.”
The band’s last album – 2017’s Sacred, which was their first album in 23 years at the time – was constructed around the modern doom frame, crossing over with doom pioneers BLACK SABBATH in multiple ways. That was seven years ago, and the world the has significantly changed since then. Gilded Sorrow has had time to fester, ferment and brew in the creative mind of Wino. As a result, it is a dark, heavy and gloomy affair, and surprisingly well-rounded. With a hefty dose of grit and cynicism, Gilded Sorrow marks itself out amongst the band’s discography.
While their sound is still anchored in that late 1970s/early 1980s proto-doom sound, to an extent it is a blend of PENTAGRAM, BLACK SABBATH and SAINT VITUS with the added punch of modern production. However, the expansion from three-piece to four-piece has done wonders for the band’s overall sound. It has given THE OBSESSED a chance to experiment and push their creativity that was hard to achieve as a three-piece. The riffs feel thicker, more imposing and intimidating, bolstered by the extra injection of Taylor’s distortion. Songwriting wise, there is more scope for lead parts to truly develop and flourish, and as a result the songs throughout the album feel more structured and less like the rambling doom-scapes that were on Sacred.
With that in mind, Gilded Sorrow has a swagger about it. Brimming with gritty, American attitude and imbued with a more heavy blues and classic rock vibe, THE OBSESSED’s brand of doom feels fundamentally different this time around. It wouldn’t be a stretch to imagine a crew of greasy, leather covered bikers screaming down the freeways and highways of the US, bikes spluttering out obnoxious fumes as they traverse the vast and varied landscapes of the country. There’s been a noticeable shift away from the band’s nuanced psychedelics in favour of ballsy chugs and pounding drum grooves. It harks back to the Lunar Womb era but with less speed.
This more straightforward approach has allowed THE OBSESSED to be even more anti-system than before, firing on all cylinders in their battle against warmongering and freedom-threatening powers. This also comes down to the cohesiveness of the band; for the first time in years they feel like a complete unit with an audibly powerful chemistry, which sets Gilded Sorrow head and shoulders above the rest of their more recent albums as a result.
The eerie and gloomy intro of Daughter Of An Echo gives way to a groove-laden SABBATH-esque riff, swirling leads and heavy drums. A suitably grimy and gritty opener that sets the tone for the album, already you hear the difference in this record, and THE OBSESSED certainly don’t hang around when it comes to delivering riff after riff. Leading into It’s Not OK, the album gets an injection of funky, heavy blues whilst the band’s lyrics criticise those who take money from our back pockets. Realize A Dream is a punchy, self-assured track that focuses round a foot tapping groove and classic rock riffs. Title track Gilded Sorrow harks back to some of the band’s more psychedelic tracks; slow and swirling, it offers you a brief moment of pause before the gritty, sludgy riffs resume on Stoned Back to the Bomb Age.
Wellspring-Dark Sunshine opens with a slightly gothic synth intro that feels apocalyptic to say the least before it plunges you into a sludgy dirge of melancholy. Jailine ups the ante once again with the classic rock vibes and heavy blues. Yen Sleep is an updated version of a classic THE OBSESSED song. Containing the slow, lumbering and slightly psychedelic elements of the original, the newly-updated version packs more punch and snarls. The album closes with a one-minute epilogue by the name of Lucky Free Nice Machine which fades the record out nicely into the ether.
Considering it has been seven years, THE OBSESSED certainly haven’t lost it. Gilded Sorrow is a refreshing change of direction that still packs the band’s punch. A welcome return from one of doom’s heavyweights.
Rating: 8/10
Gilded Sorrow is set for release on February 16th via Ripple Music.
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