Harvest Gulgaltha - Ancient Woods

HARVEST GULGALTHA - Ancient Woods (GODZ OV WAR - CD 2022)

Another day, another band, which was introduced to me. What a joy. This time we’re going to bloody Arizona, which is where enigmatic Harvest Gulgaltha resides. I don’t think I’ve ever heard of this band before – but probably I should if earlier they released some stuff under the NWN! banner. This time though it’s Godz ov War responsible for the release of Harvest Gulgaltha newest album titled “Ancient Woods”. And I have to admit that it took me some time to get into the music. Honestly, when I first heard the album, I wasn’t much impressed and I just didn’t care for what I hear. Luckily, “Ancient Woods” is one of those albums, which grow and get better with another spin. After a while, my impression was just good and positive. What's funny though is that Harvest Gulgaltha doesn’t play anything unimaginable, so I don’t even know where did my reluctance come from.  

Their musical style is kind of combination between death, black and doom metal, I think, but the music mainly focuses on the atmosphere and it’s about bringing that dark, sinister vibe of extreme metal. Don't expect then full straight forward, uncompromising attitude from Harvest Gulgaltha music, even if obviously it does keep a necessary dose of aggressive means intact. The guitar sound for instance is so massive and thick that riffs almost feel like are echoing in the chamber, crushing with its heavy tone. They sound savage and vicious, without focusing on melodic aspects of the genre. Tempo wise, the music is mostly slow, almost like it crawls from the darkness, what really helps to capture that sepulchral, ominous aura, especially with all these ghastly, malicious sounding vocals. Hmm, I think that everything has rather harsh and almost primitive character, but in a good sense of these words and at the moment I don’t even have any idea what other bands I should compare Harvest Gulgaltha to. Not that it matters. The most important is that “Ancient Woods” turned out to be rather enjoyable and interesting voyage into the obscurity. A bit dull in the beginning, but really captivating after a while. Good album, in my opinion. 

Verdict: 70/100