Sunday, 29 June 2025

GLOD – Gnosis (1995)


Country: United States
 
Tracklist
1. Black Song For A Dead Sun 06:03
2. Overmind 04:46
3. Redgnosis 11:37
4. Breath Of Fire 11:10
5. Return To Zero 13:15
6. Molecular Noisefloor 21:19
 
 GLOD (aka G.L.O.D. God Loves Over Dose) officially began around 1988 and consisted of Frank107 on vocals,
effects and manipulations, David Martin samplers and keyboards and Michael Dead on stick guitar.
A couple of home-recorded tapes were put out in limited editions,
the first being "23V" and the second being "The Gold Tape".
Around that time Frank, Shelley Soma and Mike Dead began to put out the self-published booklets,
on each solstice and equinox, which later became known as "Glod Propaganda".
As work commenced on the self-titled first LP, which was initially put out as a limited edition on marbelized clear vinyl,
then later on CD with additional tracks, GLOD coalesced into a coherent sonic endeavor
comprised of Frank, David, Mike and SSoma as a percussionist and auxillary vocalist.
Wolfgang joined late in the production, in time to make it on the CD as a second percussionist for the song "Sacriscar".
Their first CD was an exploration of sound and texture in a ritualistic format,
with not much regard for commerciality or the numerous technical obstacles which confronted the band members.
At the same time their early live performances quickly gained them attention with their occult symbolism,
ritualistic drumming, body manipulations and usage of blood sacrifice.
After the release of the first CD, Mike Dead departed the band, choosing to pursue his own path.
Also the band upgraded their home studio equipment, played some live dates around the US
(including some in the Midwest with Ordo Equitum Solis) and produced a video titled "A Private Release",
which was a sort of documentary to the events which centered around the making of the first CD.
With work on the new CD underway, GLOD signed on with the Italian label Musica Maxima Magnetica,
which also re-released the first CD in Europe.
For "Gnosis" GLOD worked with guitarist Dreike, Wolfgang shifted from drums to bass guitar
and a new drummer, Xian, was joined from the Detroit percussive band Batterie Acid.
On the visual side, Frank and SSoma produced the cover artwork and text.
"Gnosis" is a more coherent elaboration of the gnostic state that the band explored with their first release.
It explores ritualistically styled old elegies using the interplay of violin, trumpet and kettledrums 
juxtaposed with sublimely textured samples, non-traditional guitar and aggressive bass.
Weaving seductive rhythms, psychedelia-tinged trance laden with atavistic percussion and ecstatic vocal chants.
The compilations "Magnetic Submission" and the Charnel Music release "Arrhythmia III" followed.
By 1996 GLOD started working on their third CD that saw the light of day in 1999 under the title "Babe In Abyss".

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