Review Text
The new Old Man Gloom album Darkness Of Meaning (aka Seminar IX) sees the notorious experimental super-group forge on with their legacy after a slight suspension in uncertainty following the passing of bassist / vocalist Caleb Scofield. It was decided that the remaining members Aaron Turner (Sumac / Isis), Nate Newton (Converge), and drummer Santos Montano would continue and would bring in Scofield's former Cave In bandmate, Stephen Brodsky, to take his place amongst the pulse. Darkness Of Meaning continues the band's shenanigans following their Ape Of God albums-the albums where the band trolled everyone by releasing two different albums with the same title, causing bewilderment, amusement, and outrage from people on the internet. Through monolithic sonic tapestries sewn throughout, this release blossoms as a moving tribute to Scofield, with the band even incorporating material that Scofield had laid down previously for new OMG music. Recorded and mixed by three acclaimed heavy music producers, namely Matt Bayles, Kurt Ballou, and Randall Dunn, this is another towering Old Man Gloom masterwork with earth-crumbling riffs, post-hardcore brutality, sprawling noise transmissions, experimental ambient sonic subdivisions and epic, impenetrable melancholy.
