Gog

The southwestern state of Arizona is best known for its desert landscapes and grand canyons. Yet GOG mastermind Michael Bjella paints a very different picture of his native homeland with “Ironworks”. Recorded in a late 19th century blacksmith shop, where several members of his own close family toiled, GOG crafts a subversive ode to the death of the American dream using source sounds and atmosphere. This is the sound of physical labour, of blood, sweat, and tears. Metal rings on metal, shaping flesh and bone in the eternal pulse of the anvil and the searing flames of the furnace. “Ironworks” gives enslavement through capitalism a sinister soundtrack. With GOG, Michael Bjella has established himself as a major artist in the ambient field. Releases such as “Heavy Fierce Brightness: Spells of the Sun” have let to the project being described as “blackened psychedelic doomdrift dronelords”. Collaborations with renowned artists in the field included splits like “Malpais” with William Fowler Collins, or “Fruition of the Occult” with Apparitia. Now, Michael Bjella enters a new dimension of sound with “Ironworks”, which is probably his most deeply personal yet also highly political musical statement so far. Initially issued as a vinyl-only release at the end of 2012, “Ironworks” has been repackaged in lavish digipak format and is easily one of the best dark ambient releases in years!

Line-up:

• M : M
• e : e

This band is no longer active on Season of Mist.