Harvest Gulgaltha - Ancient Woods

The churning never stops.

(Originally submitted to the Metal Archives on November 11th, 2022) 

(Disclaimer: Aphotic Sonance was kind enough to send me a promotional copy of this album, but this review is in no way shaped by that gesture.)
"Atmosphere" is a term that gets thrown around a lot in the context of modern extreme metal. Whether a band sounds “evil”, or the music is “cavernous”, there tend to be a lot of buzzwords that can tip someone off in regards to an album’s contents. There are many musicians who have made a name for themselves by way of their music being impregnable, and Harvest Gulgaltha could very well become one of them. Their sophomore record, Ancient Woods is one of the most obscure and murky releases I’ve heard this year.
Problem is, the atmospherics are all it has going for it for the most part. The Arizona trio is capable of writing some churning and undoubtedly oppressive riffs, but there’s an issue when all of them sound the same and I can’t tell most of the songs apart from one another. I kid you not, in my notes I’ve scribbled “Crawling tremolo riff with double bass” so many times you could make a drinking game out of reading them. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy muddy and chaotic blackened death, but the best projects to come out of that crop are those who try to vary up their songwriting beyond a small handful of riffing patterns. Frankly, Ancient Woods doesn’t have enough of those to make up for its 37-minute runtime. It could’ve done a lot more with what’s on offer, but it instead opts to be mired in monotony and remain static for most of its duration.
That being said, there are segments that manage to jump out through the swirling riffing, and do end up sticking with the listener for a while longer. Moments like the slowdown that is accompanied by some maniacal screams halfway through “From the Depths of Acosmic Light”, or the cool cymbal mixup in “Talisman Fed Flames” help diversify the songs, but they’re few and far in between. Ancient Woods’ variety stems primarily from the vocal and drum performances, which provide the bulk of the highlights here. The drummer throws some cool off-kilter patterns every once in a while, whether they’re cymbal-oriented or just working the shit out of the toms like on “Ancient Woods Poisoned Black”. His presence cuts through the murk, and he tries his best to elevate the drab riffing that’s on display.
As for the vocal performances, they’re quite diverse and manage to stay fresh throughout the album’s duration, and provide some of its more interesting moments. From the deeper raspy growls that take the lion’s share of the music, to the manic screams that help drive some of the slowdowns home, and the throaty ominous chanting that appears on select occasions, such as the finale of “Chaos Among the Dead”, serve as additives to the atmosphere, but also help give the tracks a more personal flair. It’s not often that I find extreme metal vocals to be memorable, let alone in this particular niche, but that’s where Ancient Woods shines brightest and what makes its best moments stand out.

As for the production, it’s workmanlike, and ticks all the boxes one would expect. It’s dense and claustrophobic, but instruments retain their definition surprisingly enough, resulting in an experience that isn’t quite as mushy as I thought it’d be. The gloomy guitars provide a buzzing layer of sound, underpinned by the subterranean drums that reverberate throughout, especially the snare, each hit being felt to its fullest. As for the bass, it’s content hanging in the back supporting the guitars, though there are times where it sticks its head out, as seen on “Primal Spirits and Iron Serpent”.
While music that is extremely focused on one thing tends to be a good thing, Harvest Gulgaltha might just be a bit too single-minded in their goal. Ancient Woods is a project that sadly loses power the more spins it gets, its tricks being obvious from the very first song. It isn’t bad per se, merely lacking in the variety that could help propel it from the “Oh, that sounds evil and cool” tier to the “I want to revisit this in the future” one. It isn’t often that a 37-minute long album feels overlong, but this is definitely one of those cases. That being said, things seem to be promising, and I can only hope that the band capitalises on their strengths and manages to put out a truly great project in the future.
Highlights: From the Depths of Acosmic Light, Talisman Fed Flames, Chaos Among the Dead

Rating: 65% 

 

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