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GOLD SPIRE "Gold Spire" Digipak CD (Chaos Records 2021)
An unexpected and genre-defying new recording featuring current and former members of Usurpress, Sarcasm, and Obskyr, GOLD SPIRE fuses together the smoldering coals of jazz and progressive rock, channeled through the prism of dark death metal to create a transcendent and filth-ridden portal to the musical netherworlds.
GOLD SPIRE was formed in 2019 in Uppsala, Sweden, by brothers Erik Sundström and Påhl Sundström following the demise of Påhl’s former band Usurpress. Functioning as co-producer and session drummer for Usurpress, Erik worked closely with Påhl on what came to be the last album of the prog/death outfit, 2018’s Interregnum. The ideas that were created during these sessions, together with the general focus on storytelling rather than genre considerations, formed the basis on which GOLD SPIRE was born. To keep the nerve in the songwriting process and urgency in the performances, they chose to invite musicians outside of the traditional metal spectrum: jazz saxophonist extraordinaire Magnus Kjellstrand and progressive rock bassist Petter Broman. The circle was completed by adding an absolute legend of death metal on vocals: Heval Bozarslan.
Guitarist Påhl explains: “We wanted to not only push the envelope for the death metal genre but also to expand our own understanding of how different musical experiences and preconceptions can be merged to create a cohesive common ground. The main focal point here is not genre, or individual performances, or instrumentation – those are just vehicles – but rather the overall theme and narrative.”
Completing the awe-inspiring totality is the mesmerizing cover artwork, created by Påhl Sundström. Be prepared for the boldest AND darkest debut of the year: GOLD SPIRE’s Gold Spire!