Over thirty years from their Melancholy debut album, Spain's melodic doom/death metal outfit Golgotha are still forging ahead, redefining their style and creating albums of remarkable power, passion and depth. After the resounding triumph of 2024's Spreading The Wings Of Hope, the band's upward trajectory shows no signs of slowing as they prepare to release their seventh full-length, Hubris. Far from a carbon copy of its illustrious predecessor, Hubris is made of rawer, darker stuff. Drawing on the personal struggles and intimate tragedies of everyday lives, Hubris is unflinching in its presentation. The past is gone, and the band have described Hubris as "a very important chapter that truly reflects who we are today"...
Beginning with the first single, "A Simple Life", Hubris opens the floodgates of emotion, and after a fragile vocal introduction, the weight of despair crashes down upon the listener. The melodic chorus leads you with deceptive beauty into a deeper darkness, and this desolate journey begins in earnest. "The Weight Of The Weak" lifts the tempo, driving onwards with passages of genuine pace and some quality lead guitar work – something that also lights up the oppressive gloom of "Broken Toy" and "Too Late" – while "Blind" is breathtaking in its overwhelming power, a majestic procession of sorrow. Before the emotionally punishing conclusion of "Intolerance", we find one of Hubris' many highlights in the atmospheric form of "Fire In The Shadows". This song enfolds you in its black wings, encloses you in surging walls of emotion, sealing you away from the world, isolating you within its austere judgement. Hubris will accept nothing but total honesty and will offer the same in return. There are no flights of fantasy here, just a courageous confrontation with the reality of the world and our own failings. As the band puts it, "These are not fictional stories, but fragments of real life turned into music".
To find the "rawer, more direct" sound that they were looking for, to bring out the rugged textures of Hubris, Golgotha turned to producer Davide Billia (Antropofagus, Beheaded, Posthuman Abomination, etc.) – and together they have sculpted the unique sonic character that this album demanded. A brave album, a demanding album and an ultimately rewarding album, Hubris will emerge from the shadows under the banner of Abstract Emotions on 24 April. Be prepared to lay your heart before its gaze. Link
Hubris Tracklist:
01. A Simple Life
02. The Weight Of The Weak
03. Broken Toy
04. Empty Minds
05. Too Late
06. Blind
07. Fire In The Shadows
08. Intolerance
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"This time we're trying not to complicate things too much. We want to have a simple message, but that doesn't mean there will be fewer arrangements or less songwriting..." - Pedro Paixão
"We're really into oxymorons and that sort of thing. Years and years ago, we came up with this idea—well, we didn't invent it, but we called it "happy sad"." - Matt James
"Goth people want to have fun sometimes too. I guess if your listening time is 99% dark, sad songs or evil black metal songs, sometimes you want 1% joy, and here I come." - Franck Hueso
"Within this darkness, where there's no light at all, the golden raven still shines. It's not like a perfectly cut statue of Michelangelo..." - Val Perun
