Combining features of dark ambient, ritual music, dungeon synth, and various cinematic elements and techniques, Queensland—based The Golden Bough’s releases all focus intently on their respective themes with the aim of temporarily immersing the listener within a new worldview. We share this admiration for Earth & can’t wait to experience it with you!
Please support the artist for all digital-only purchases:
natecollins.bandcamp.com
EU/UK, please purchase from Vita Detestabilis Records:
vitadetestabilisrecords.bandcamp.com
"‘Book V: Earth is to Keep Silence’ is an experiment in symphonic dark ambiance inspired by themes of both the passage of time and the mystical concept of keeping private one's spiritual pursuits. At its core, the suite is intended as a representation of the Earth itself as it bears witness to cosmic history, each movement designed to express various chapters of our planet’s silent story. In this way, it was conceived as an avenue through which to convey my profound sense of awe and reverence for the natural world. That awe which can easily leave us speechless.
Writing about the other inspiration for this album —the notion of “keeping silence”— is where I currently find myself tiptoeing across a razor’s edge of irony. In esoteric practices, the injunction to “keep silence” is often associated with the belief that certain aspects of spiritual experience should not be openly shared or discussed. Instead, they must be kept secret, allowing the practitioner to maintain the “purity” and/or “potency” of their spiritual journey. This is all well and good (and maybe it’s true and maybe it isn’t), but from my perspective, silence’s greatest utility lies in serving the purpose of dissuading practitioners of all spiritual paths from the act of proselytisation. In a vacuum, spirituality is a beneficial and often indescribably beautiful pursuit, but when disseminated widely, it can all-too-easily become toxic, metastasising into cults, organised religion, and rigid hierarchies.
Compositionally, ‘Book V…’ forms a kind of infinite loop in which the beginning implies the end and the end implies the beginning, an idea influenced by the cycles of the seasons, epochs, eras, eons, and yugas. By exclusively utilising electronic versions of acoustic instruments and at times pushing them well beyond the limits of their analogue counterparts, I hope that I have managed to reinforce the central paradox of this release. That being the inadequacy of language and the limitation of words in conveying not only spiritual ideas but also concepts of time and scale which exist vastly beyond the scope of human experience. This paradox becomes more clear as I write this, choking on the irony of it all: Not only have I attempted to convey the indescribable through music, but I’m now attempting to describe that already inadequate musical representation in this awkward thesis statement. Feel free to laugh at me, I certainly am.
Obviously, some things can’t be effectively expressed by words. Well, not my words, at least. Maybe I should just opt to “plead the fifth” and Keep Silence."
released October 27, 2023
Recorded and conceived on Gubbi Gubbi land, with all due respect to Elders past, present and future.
All noise composed, performed, produced through Nate Collins
Recorded at Hofmann Road, 2023 e.v.
Mastered by 超焦點
Static visuals by Nate Collins and Robots
Thanks: Fiadh Productios, Vita Detestabilis Records, Dale of Shadows, Realm & Ritual, Pieces of Work Productions, Catacombs of Heresy, Transmissions from the Dark, Antifascist Black Metal Network, Round Reptile Records, Vince/Southside Guitars, Ayloss/Spectral Lore, Hellstorm of Flaming Nothingness, Rusted Satellites, Stølace Relay Station.
Special thanks to: Petros Kwstakhs (for the incredibly generous and deeply appreciated support), Bjorn Gorissen (for the inspiration, encouragement, and advice on subjects extending well beyond the realm of music), Jan Fries (for the generous attention, correspondence, insight, and, of course, for the beautiful painting which now lives in my studio), Lionel Snell (for taking the time to discuss music and magick when I released 'Void Meditations', opening up my mind to so many more possibilities of how the two might intersect and overlap), Chris Ayin (for the incredible and humbling opportunity, invaluable advice, and welcomed brutal honesty), Bariann, Irene, Lucia, George, and Shawn (for your faith in my music and your willingness to manifest it in physical form via your respective labels - your support will always be deeply appreciated) and as always, Billie (for your love and patience).
The Golden Bough is a one-person band from Queensland, Australia which acts as the home for composer Nate Collins’ more spiritually-driven work. Combining features of dark ambient, ritual music, dungeon synth, and various cinematic elements and techniques, The Golden Bough’s releases all focus intently on their respective themes with the aim of temporarily immersing the listener within a new worldview. So far, these albums have focused on magickal theory and practice (‘Aural Magick’), the Cthulhu mythos (‘Mythos’), tantric Buddhism (Mahakala), and now, with the release of’ Hiemal Hymns’, the season of winter.
Bandcamp:
natecollins.bandcamp.com
Facebook:
facebook.com/natecollinsmusic
