Review by Geary of War
Swedish duo Golgata have had a productive two years as, following on from last year’s ‘Skam’, they have written ‘Tempel’, out now on Satanath Records.
Kicking off with the title track we have an ethereal vibe which is short lived when some classic black metal blasting barges in. Far from just being an ‘old school only’ band, Golgata set out early to show you that they intend to be more progressive. ‘Månspegel’, aside from being a little heavy on the bass end, continues on this vibe and builds up to some classic head nodding moments. Some very subtle but effective horns lurk in the background of ‘Råttfångarens dans’. Chanting elements of this track cast up those ritual scenes from the Vikings TV show and fairly fires up the blood. ‘Låt klockorna klämta’ has a bit of everything: the melody, the violent blasting, frantic bell ringing, which to cast back to the Vikings image, is like a warning of an invading force and the mayhem around the bell is the battle.
Although “Du stod vid min grav” rampages into your ears with speed and purpose, the pace slows right down to doom levels and a haunting bit of clean singing begins from a female vocalist who I unfortunately cannot locate the name for. It is really quite haunting and fits the album’s cover, a twilight shot of a mostly full moon hanging low over a sparse woodland. You can practically smell the bonfire folk would be gathered around. As straightforward a metal song as you are likely to find on this record, ‘Bojor’ cannot resist the trend and rounds out with another quality bit of chanting. If you ever need to get motivated for something you have been dreading, stick this on and ensure it’s loud. It will do the job. Taking us home in the same way we came in, ‘Med din kyss kom mörkret’ is a snarling and thunderous black metal offering.
Golgata does a good job at blending the old school vibes, tones and inherent nastiness of classic black metal while folding in the progressiveness of the modern age which embraces the pagan sounds, synths and horns. It is not quite the finished article; some of the mixing is a little off and the flow can be jarring in moments but overall this is a good album and well worth the 37 minutes and 5 seconds it takes to hear.
https://www.facebook.com/Golgata-977034225680712
https://satanath.bandcamp.com/album/sat300-golgata-tempel-2020
The Killchain 