Old Man Gloom
American post-metal supergroup from Santa Fe and Boston.
Old Man Gloom began in Santa Fe, New Mexico, founded by Aaron Turner (of Isis) and Santos Montano. The band later relocated to Massachusetts and grew into a supergroup drawing from the Boston hardcore and metalcore scenes.
Their first album, *Meditations in B*, came out in 1999. A year later, they released two albums at once: *Seminar II* and *Seminar III*. For those records, Luke Scarola joined to handle electronics. On *Seminar II*, Stephen Brodsky of Cave In wrote lyrics for one track, and Jay Randall of Agoraphobic Nosebleed contributed electronics. The album *Christmas* followed on August 23, 2004.
After *Christmas*, the band’s activity dropped off sharply. The members insist they never broke up or went on hiatus, but for roughly eight years, no one’s schedule allowed for writing or recording. During that stretch, Turner’s main band Isis released three more studio albums—*Panopticon* (2004), *In the Absence of Truth* (2007), and *Wavering Radiant* (2009)—before disbanding in 2010. Turner also joined, formed, or continued work in several other projects: Greymachine, House of Low Culture, Jodis, Lotus Eaters, Mamiffer, Ringfinger, and Twilight. Nate Newton’s primary band Converge put out four albums—*You Fail Me* (2004), *No Heroes* (2006), *Axe to Fall* (2009), and *All We Love We Leave Behind* (2012)—while Newton founded Doomriders in 2004 and reunited with his earlier band Jesuit in 2011. Caleb Scofield’s main band Cave In released two albums before their hiatus—*Antenna* (2003) and *Perfect Pitch Black* (2005)—then went on hiatus in 2006; they reunited in 2009 and released *White Silence* (2011). Scofield, who had never been the primary writer for his other bands, formed Zozobra in 2006 after Cave In’s hiatus—the name came from Old Man Gloom’s third album *Seminar III: Zozobra*. Santos Montano briefly played in Zozobra early on and also performed with Stephen Brodsky’s new band New Idea Society.
Old Man Gloom broke their eight-year silence abruptly. On May 1, 2012, they announced via Facebook that they would tour and release a new album, *No*, on June 26 through Hydra Head Records; fans could also pick up copies at tour dates starting the next day. The album got minimal promotion. The band and label tried to keep it quiet, but in 2011 an Easter egg in a magazine ad hinted at a 2012 release, and producer Kurt Ballou tweeted about working on the albu
- formed
- 1999
- origin
- Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA
- genre
- Post-metal
- notable_members
- Aaron Turner, Santos Montano, Nate Newton, Caleb Scofield, Stephen Brodsky
- key_albums
- Meditations in B (1999), No (2012), The Ape of God I & II (2014)
Lore & Background
Old Man Gloom was formed in 1999 by Aaron Turner and Santos Montano. The band released its first album, Meditations in B, in 1999. In 2001, they released two albums simultaneously: Seminar II and Seminar III, with Luke Scarola joining on electronics. On Seminar II, Stephen Brodsky wrote lyrics for one song, and Jay Randall contributed electronics. Their fourth album, Christmas, was released on August 23, 2004. After Christmas, the band entered a period of inactivity that lasted about eight years, though members insisted the band did not break up or go on hiatus. During this time, members focused on other projects: Turner's main band Isis released three more albums before breaking up in 2010; Nate Newton's Converge released four albums; and Caleb Scofield's Cave In released two albums before their hiatus and one after.
Reader's Guide
Old Man Gloom's significance lies in its role as a supergroup drawing from prominent figures in the Boston hardcore and metalcore scene, and its influence on post-metal. The band's abrupt return in 2012 with the album No, after eight years of silence, was marked by minimal promotion and a surprise announcement. Their 2014 release The Ape of God was marketed as a single album but actually consisted of two distinct studio albums, with a 'fake' version sent to press. The death of bassist Caleb Scofield in a car accident in 2018 led the remaining members to continue the band in his honor, with Stephen Brodsky joining as an official member. The band's legacy includes a series of Seminar albums and a willingness to experiment with release strategies and sonic textures.
Did You Know?
- The band's name inspired the name of Caleb Scofield's side project Zozobra, which was taken from the album Seminar III: Zozobra.
- In 2014, Old Man Gloom released two different studio albums both titled The Ape of God, while a 'fake' version was sent to the press.
- After Caleb Scofield's death in 2018, the band enlisted Stephen Brodsky to perform at his tribute show and later made him an official member.
- The band's 2012 album No was announced on May 1 with a wide release on June 26, and fans could buy it at tour dates starting the next day.
More in American post-metal musical groups 1-24
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