If Feral Children taught us anything, it’s that metalcore can be mercurial and multi-dimensional, or at least it can be when Holy+Gold have control over the reigns. With members of the Chariot and Norma Jean involved, there was an implicit understanding the music would be frenetic and heavy, and the band’s debut certainly slips neatly into those parameters. But the group’s spastic aggression proved to be more elastic and unpredictable than anyone could’ve guessed, and the EP was as remarkable for its variety as it was for its massive riffs and coiled aggression.
With their new 7″, Everything Needs Something… I Need Your Light, Holy+Gold thankfully continue to keep listeners locked-in and off balance. Side A banger “Poisoned Wounds” opens with the feverish ferocity you’d expect from a band with their particular pedigree, all serrated chaos and bruising dissonance. But then midway through the song, the band takes the pot off boil and lets it settle into a steady, almost grungy simmer. There’s nothing implicitly notable about the break itself except that it provides some room for the song to breathe, and for Keller Harbin to interject a bit of melody into his vocals. It’s just enough to change the dynamics of the track, and get to you to drop your guard before pummeling you into submission on the way out.
Similarly, B-side “Walking Wounds” maneuvers deftly through wiry knots of dark, propulsive hardcore, blistering metal, and airy psychedelia in its efforts to inflict maximum damage as it detonates through your speakers. There may be considerable nuance to Holy+Gold’s wrecking-ball volatility, but the end goal remains the same: to create intense, exciting, visceral songs that make a striking impact. Supposedly, the two tracks contained here are teasers for a full length to come, so if you appreciate the band’s particular brand of dense, cathartic fury, there should be plenty more where this came from.
Holy+Gold performs tonight at the EARL alongside Sunndrug, Palaces, and MTN ISL. Doors open at 8:30 p.m. Admission is $12. 21+ to enter.
More Info
Web: holygoldband.com
Bandcamp: holygold.bandcamp.com
Facebook: @holygoldband
Instagram: @holygoldband