Album Review: Golgotha – Hubris (Abstract Emotions)

Spain’s Melodic Doom/Death Metal band, Golgotha, will release their brand new album, Hubris, via Abstract Emotions on the 24th of April.

Following on from the band’s 2024 album, Spreading the Wings of Hope, Golgotha return with purpose with Hubris. An album described as being of much darker hues, with harsher and more rugged textures. Hubris looks at the struggles, challenges, and turmoil that shape us and make us human. Stories, about which the band state:

“these are not fictional stories, but fragments of real life turned into music”.

Golgotha have been reinventing themselves and the genre since their formation way back in 1992, though there have been gaps and hiatuses on their journey, the most significant of which was between 2005 and 2018. They returned renewed in 2018 with their EP, Arise. Since then, we have had multiple singles, EPs, and studio albums including the excellent Erasing the Past and Mors Diligentis. Here on Hubris, the band continue to demonstrate their relevance, and to help find their sound, they turned to producer Davide Billia (Antropofagus, Beheaded, Posthuman Abomination). Billia’s contribution has been described by Golgotha as essential in shaping the power and character they wanted for Hubris.

Golgotha is founding member Vicente J. Paya on guitars, Andrew Spinosa on bass, María J. Lladó on vocals, Dan Garcia on guitars, and Rafel Garcies on drums.

Held in the arms of comfort and love, surrounded by joy and affirmation, I had no expectation, nor understanding of failure and loss. I had no sense of my own true measure, or of the darkness’s that lay so far below me, watching me with hungry eyes and endless patience. I flew higher, heedless and carefree, gathering happiness like an endless crop, a constant golden yield. And as the flames began to flicker along my wings I took them to be just another well-deserved adornment, another gift from a universe that loved me best. And when the fall came, it came fast. I spiralled into shadow, crashing into night…my heart, my mind, my spirit shattering on the rocks of reality. Toxicity and spite, rejection and grief, jealousy and hunger lapped at my feet like a bitter sea, as I lay on the cold, cruel shores of realisation…the scales rebalanced.

Hubris delivers 8 new Golgotha tracks for us to get stuck into, starting with A Simple Life. It takes very little time to get drawn into Golgotha’s sound. Some early cleans lead us into the track before the full weight of their powerfully emotive music crashes over you. The smooth doom sounds combine wonderfully with the cleans. Simultaneously, the heavier sections with their harsh, blackened vocals have real impact. I love the transitions between both vocal styles. The drums are great too. The riffs, in the heavier parts, have real power, and the melody in the slower sections is gorgeous. It’s an emotional and impactful start.

The Weight of the Weak keeps the quality coming with a bit more tempo and more leaning on the heavier music. The balance is good, though, and the overall feeling is one of sadness and melancholy, but with hints of hope. I love the lead guitars in this one. The riffs are great, but the melody and the solo are stunning. The experience of this band is really shining through in the engaging song writing – it’s very hypnotic. Broken Toy brings some really heavy riffs and extra emphasis on the harsh vocals. It will get your head banging nicely and keeps that engaging and exciting contrast as it switches from the heavier stuff to María J. Lladó’s clean and emotive style and back and forth. There is also another wicked solo as Golgotha show off all of their skills and tricks here on Hubris.

Empty Minds and Too Late keep these two sides of Golgotha at the forefront of their sound as each song balances bleak and blackened doom with delicate and harmonious beauty. Like rays of sunlight peeking through the darkness at times, at others, like darkness encroaching on the light. It depends on the leaning of each song, where some prioritise heaviness and darkness, and others prioritise the emotive melody. It makes for a very exciting listen, though, as we carry on through Hubris.

Blind is another excellent track that has a touch of majesty to it. Stylistically, that glorious balance of dark and light is prominent, but this time the cleans are accompanied by some serious chugging riffs and drum work. The heavy vocals have enough power to them to really emphasise the contrast, and while it’s easy to become obsessed with the vocal changes, the driving guitar melodies, powerful riffs, and impressive drums can’t be ignored.

Fire In The Shadows is up next. This track delivers a slab of beat-driven riffs and drums in the intro that instantly grab you and get your head banging. The early stages of the song lean on the heavy vocals as a melody grows in through those heavier riffs. There is a break in the bleakness with the clean vocals, but such is their style, almost witch-like, that they just add to the overall dark vibe still.

Hubris closes with Intolerance and, much like the rest of the album, Golgotha deliver a powerful and engaging track that balances dark and light wonderfully. The emotion the band have tried to pack into this song, and the others, is very clear. The delicate nature of the human condition is demonstrated so well through the contrasting sounds and vocals. I absolutely love the line “I wasn’t born to be perfect” and love how both vocalists come together to sing it. On top of those little moments, the guitars, the melodies, the riffs, and those drums continue to impress. It closes out an album that feels professional, important, and showcases the band’s experience.

Overall, Hubris is a very professional, well-written and engaging album that showcases a band with real experience and confidence in their craft. The contrast between the clean and harsh vocals, as well as the light and heavy instrumentation, is consistently impressive and forms the backbone of Golgotha’s sound here. It’s executed with real skill and gives the album a strong emotional weight throughout. That said, there is a noticeable similarity in structure and approach across several tracks. While the quality rarely dips, it can lead to a sense of repetition over time. Even so, Hubris remains a strong, immersive listen that underlines why Golgotha continue to be a relevant and compelling force.

Track List:

A Simple Life
The Weight of the Weak
Broken Toy
Empty Minds
Too Late
Blind
Fire in the Shadows
Intolerance

Golgotha Links

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