Gollum

R

ather than falling in lock step with the "flavors of the week", Gollum decided to stand out with their own originality. Blitzkrieg drumming, pulsating bass chords and hypnotic guitars highlighted this mostly all-instrumental act. Mixed with overdubbed vocals but dominated by the instrumentation, they were able to leave the formulaic chorus-verse-chorus system of songwriting. Featuring the membership of Serge Stroehmer (bass), Frank Stroehmer (guitar), Josh Novicki (samples) and Hunter Holland (drums; R.I.P. 2008) they would release Promise Of Nightfall (2001), an EP with 66 tracks: most being only 3 minutes of silence with the 66th having a brief shouting session over the music; leaving the first 5 being the tracks of substance. They followed it up with another EP release, the Dark House Demos (2002) featuring even deeper and more ambient instrumentation, the only track on it featuring grated vocals shouted over a barrage of music.

An album proper would follow in 2004 with Lesser Traveled Waters and The Core (2009); the second featuring Shawn Corbett to add real vocals, along with keyboards and samples.

Hunter Holland would die in 2008. Seth Long would replace him.

Gollum, a name derived from the Yiddish "goylem" which literally translates to "shapeless mass" would split in 2013. They would reform later that same year as Hadea.