Their early sound found them playing short sludgecore songs intertwined alike with drone/ambient/noise songs, an approach no one else thought of doing at the time. As the years they passed, they started composing some longer songs and reducing the ambient/noise bits with almost no drone until they arrived at their current sound which is an amalgamation of these three approaches: short hardcore songs, longer post-songs and ambient/noise bits. Their members have expressed they have never been in any other related projects that are as engaging, original or unique as Old Man Gloom is.
They originally formed in 1999 in Santa Fe, New Mexico, United States, but are now based in Massachusetts. The group was formed by Aaron Turner and Santos Montano. By the release of their first album (Meditations in B), Old Man Gloom expanded to include two new members, creating the following lineup:
Aaron Turner (Sumac, Isis, House of Low Culture, Mamiffer, Jodis): guitar, vocals
Nate Newton (Converge, Doomriders): guitar, vocals
Caleb Scofield (Cave In, Zozobra): bass, vocals
Santos Montano (Zozobra): drums
In 2001, a year after the release of Meditations in B, the band released two albums simultaneously: Seminar II: The Holy Rites of Primitivism Regressionism and Seminar III: Zozobra. For these records, Luke Scarola joined to use electronics. On Seminar II, Stephen Brodsky of Cave In wrote the lyrics for one song, and Agnostic Blunt (aka Jay Randall of Agoraphobic Nosebleed) also contributed on electronics. On August 24, 2004, Christmas was released. After an eight year silence, Old Man Gloom returned with NO in 2012, and in 2014 followed two more albums, both titled The Ape of God.
Scofield passed away in 2018. Stephen Brodsky, friend of the band and Scofield's Cave In bandmate, joined the band as an official member shortly after. In 2020 two albums were released simultaneously: Seminar VIII: Light Of Meaning and Seminar IX: Darkness of Being, together acting as a "sequel" to Meditations in B, their first album. Both albums feature Scott (Kelly from Neurosis) crooning.
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Crescent
Old Man Gloom Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Senses lost in the haze she dreams and we escape
And when the rain comes pouring in we will drown again
Halos circle her heavy tongue whispering our song
When i force her to come undone to heaven she will come
And when the rains come pouring in we will drown again
The lyrics to Old Man Gloom's song 'Crescent' are poetic and obscure, creating a somewhat mysterious and haunting atmosphere. The opening line suggests that there is some sort of force or energy pulling the singer and someone else (presumably a romantic partner) closer together, with 'static' representing the crackling tension between them. The second line suggests that this connection allows them to escape reality - they lose their senses in a 'haze' and dream.
The third line is where the lyrics take a darker tone; the arrival of rain is usually associated with cleansing and renewal, but in this context, it is suffocating and deadly. The line "we will drown again" suggests that this is not the first time they have been overwhelmed by the rain, and will not be the last. This could represent a cyclical pattern of destruction and rebirth, or simply an ongoing struggle. The fourth line mentions 'halos' and a 'whispering' song, which could be interpreted as supernatural or otherworldly in nature.
Line by Line Meaning
Static in my atmosphere drawing her to near
The overwhelming emotions I exude are pulling her in closer to me
Senses lost in the haze she dreams and we escape
Her mind is clouded and wandering, as we both escape from reality together
And when the rain comes pouring in we will drown again
When the troubles inevitably resurface, we will once again fall victim to them
Halos circle her heavy tongue whispering our song
Even though she may be weighed down by her own burdens, she still sings our shared tune with grace
When i force her to come undone to heaven she will come
When I push her to let go of her inhibitions, she will feel liberated and free
And when the rains come pouring in we will drown again
Once again, we will find ourselves overwhelmed with difficulties and struggling to stay afloat
Contributed by Austin W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.