After they took their time following the release of their debut EP Grotesque Radio in 2021, British rockers Golem Dance Cult dropped their record Legend of the Bleeding Heart on the 23rd of May 2023. With diverse cleverly mixed and arranged influences, the duo Golem Dance Cult created a uniquely exciting sound that they described as “an old Hammer horror movie directed by Dali and recolored by Andy Warhol”. Let me tell you more about it.
Coming after the building-up opener Prologue – Kill The Radio Brat, Golem Dance Cult officially kickstarted Legend of the Bleeding Heart with Dalek Rhetoric. Previously released as a single, Dalek Rhetoric has an industrial sound with heavy atmospheric vibes and catchy dynamics that sets a post-apocalyptic haunting mood that keeps the listener hooked and entertained. Schadenfreude Addict comes next with an intimidating intro that builds up into a powerful irresistible groove, its deep and heavy approach embarks in a slow decisive progression into a denser hard-hitting area while keeping its dynamic hooking sound uncompromised. With a fluid melodic pace comes Carpe Noctem, it has a surf rock groove with some subtle energetic vibes and on-point guitar tone choice, with an eargasmic main melody that holds it all together cleverly through its mellow dynamic shifts. Ghost of Las Vegas has a thick doomy raw guitar sound and an atmospheric goth mood, the mesmerizing vocal melody controlled its pace while the moody bass added an emotional layer to its mix.
21st Century Dogs opens with a mellow streaming flow with a dark layer that as it progresses, steers into a bigger picture with guitar melodies, vocal harmonies, groovy drums, and synth all fully contributing to this progression, strengthing its mood while giving the structure the twist it needed. Steering toward a more open sound and organic flow comes Dead Breakers (Sky Burials). Built around a simple catchy guitar melody, Dead Breakers (Sky Burials)‘s keeps on evolving with the addition of diverse layers and effects that pushed its sound forward, getting a more hyped flow while keeping their overall ambient moody approach. Going Warpath has a pounding energetic intro that Golem Dance Cult cleverly guide into their mysterious ethereal world, creating a dynamic mix with multilayered well-arranged sound without compromising their solid sound and vision. Things get more dancey and upbeat in She/He’s My Kryptonite, its moving groovy flow with those big bright chorus boosted the record’s energy showing Golem Dance Cult‘s diverse writing as they dive into the world of psychedelia, and how they manage to add on and tweak their sound to craft the perfect mood, and the outro was AMAZING. The violins in Feels Like Tuesday (Deja Vu) are one of the album’s highlights for me, the song has a deep melancholic sound that’s pretty clear and solid through its smooth dynamic progression, even at the upbeat dancy parts. Demi Monde sets us on a dreamy mellow flow at the end of the record, its powerful groove kept things interesting and had me hooked and it went perfectly with the song’s vibes, while the soothing vocal melody set a floating mood. It went on repeat for a while before I started Legend of the Bleeding Heart all over again.
Legend of the Bleeding Heart shows Golem Dance Cult‘s writing skills and a good sense of melody and vision, they know their sound and direction very well and as they steer their way towards it, they mix their diverse influences creating an enjoyable sonic journey. Looking forward to more from Golem Dance Cult, keep on rocking. Cheers!
