Emerging like a fever dream from the subterranean realms of alt-rock noir, Golem Dance Cult return with their sophomore album Shamanic Faultlines —a kaleidoscopic collision of mysticism, menace and groove-soaked defiance. Two years on from their debut, the Franco-Australian duo expand their sonic vocabulary with a cinematic palette that’s as seductive as it is unhinged.
From the industrial-laced spoken word of the opening track “Nevertheless, Here's The Golem,” it’s clear the band have doubled down on narrative intent. The themes are esoteric and drenched in symbolism—“Call of the Wendigo” shudders with primal urgency, while “There’s No Church In This Town” drips with dark irony, channelling a kind of post-apocalyptic preacher’s warning across dusty reverberating landscapes.
The record slithers between gothic flamboyance and psychedelic detachment. Standout riffs on “Caveat Emptor” (courtesy of Dick Dens) and “God Is Holding His Breath” act as sonic flash grenades—desperate and dazzling. Peter Micallef’s organic drum contributions on “Ned Kelly’s Arms” anchor the chaos with earthy precision, while Haydn Walker’s guitar in the same track conjures ghosts of outlaw romanticism through delay-drenched wails.
Vocal textures evolve like characters in a twisted cabaret: Inga Liljestrom’s presence on “Pretty At Dawn” and “Shamanic Faultlines” offers a spectral tenderness, ethereal yet sharp-edged, balancing Alex Zillon Jean’s brooding murk on “Escher Drawings.” These vocal shifts mirror the album’s oscillation between ritual and revelation.
Each of the 13 tracks feels like a scene from a shadow play—“Beach Stroll With Pasolini” evokes celluloid surrealism, while “Soul Searcher” spirals into a near-ecstatic crescendo, lush with Michael Gonthier’s tremulous guitar and Locki Lockwood’s synth work. Additional textures—cello, theremin, organ, Moog—embellish the album’s psychedelic séance, hinting at haunted elegance rather than clutter.
Shamanic Faultlines isn’t just a follow-up—it’s an ascension, a sonic spellbook inked in velvet and ash. Golem Dance Cult channel their collaborators not as guests but as summoned spirits, resulting in a body of work that dances along the precipice of post-punk, ritualistic glam, and cinematic doom. Bauhaus may haunt the shadows, but the Cult makes them gleam.
Tracklist
01 – Introduction Nevertheless, Here's The Golem (01:00)
02 – Call Of The Wendigo (03:00)
03 – Caveat Emptor (2:29)
04 – Beach Stroll With Pasolini (03:34)
05 – There's No Church In This Town (02:40)
06 – Pretty At Dawn (02:53)
07 – Personal Black Hole (02:33)
08 – Ned Kelly's Arms (03:41)
09 – Escher Drawings (02:50)
10 – When In Rome (02:51)
11 – God Is Holding His Breath (03:00)
12 – Soul Searcher (04:52)
13 – Shamanic Faultlines (04:23)
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