[Update: Yes] Is Old Man Gloom's new album 'The Ape of God' secretly a double album?

When I try to think of secrets in the music industry, not many things come to mind. Maybe a hidden bonus track that's kind of lame and forgettable. Maybe a secret basement show that's in a city on the other side of the U.S. that I can't really benefit from. Nothing that really wow's me. But if the following rumor is true, it could be the first greatest secret in the music world (or at least the heavy music world) in recent memory.

Supergroup (do people still use this term anymore?) Old Man Gloom -- whose lineup includes Aaron Turner (Isis, Mammifer), Nate Newton (Converge, Doomriders) and Caleb Schfield (Cave In, Zozobra) -- announced a couple of months ago that their six studio album titled The Ape of God would be released this November through Profound Lore records. But did they mean to say sixth AND seventh studio albums?

Double OMG all the wayyyyyyy!!!

That's the question I asked a popular heavy metal blog in a brief "news tip" email based on a limited amount of evidence found on Amazon, but they responded almost immediately and said, "It’s just a mistake on Amazon’s part… that comes straight from Aaron Turner. Sorry if you got your hopes up!" But since that email from maybe two weeks ago, there's now even more evidence supporting my theory that The Ape of God is, in fact, actually a double album.

First up, the online music cataloging website AllMusic. If you're not familiar, this is THE music website, and despite a few errors here and there (usually with release dates), it's usually seen as one of the most authoritative sources for basic album info. AllMusic currently has two mostly blank entries (this is typical for unreleased albums) for two Old Man Gloom albums (here and here) that are disambiguated as I & II. What's also interesting is that they have different catalog numbers, which are unique to different albums. I is listed as PFL145 and II is listed as PFL1455, which InterPunk suggests might actually be 145.5. This is how most labels number different but similar albums, such as deluxe issues, re-masters or re-releases, but I imagine it's also how one might number what I suspect Old Man Gloom is trying to do, if I'm right. But, it could also be a typo. Let's look at some more evidence.

There's also the album's review on Amazon.com that wasn't there when I sent in the news tip, which states:

Volume Two of Two. 2014 release from one of the most inventive and influential bands in the post-hardcore/post-metal/experimental scene. THE APE OF GOD is presented as two separate albums, each with its own unique set of songs. Formed in the late '90s in the wasteland desert of Santa Fe, New Mexico, by Aaron Turner (Isis, Mamiffer) and drummer Santos Montano, Old Man Gloom began as a simple side project and evolved into something of grandeur. Now, Old Man Gloom presents THE APE OF GOD. Delivering some of the mightiest and most epic material the group has conjured, it will stand as a highlight in their singular repertoire. In the true fashion of one of heavy music's most intriguing acts, THE APE OF GOD balances colossal heaviness, experimental/ambient noise and a unique aesthetic presentation.

Hmmm... Could just be that Amazon tries to whip out these reviews on the fly and doesn't have time to really listen to every single album. They likely just hire interns to write these up based on press release info. An error on Amazon's part plus an un-informed intern plus a press release could result in the above statement. But wait, there's more...

Take a peek at the two album covers for The Ape of God to the right. At first glace they're very similar, but upon closer inspection, they're actually two completely different images. They were both pulled from Amazon: the one on top was taken from the listing for The Ape of God I and the other was taken from the listing for The Ape of God II. This is the first piece of evidence that actually could not be the fault of an intern or a typo or a miscommunication. Amazon either scanned these covers themselves or the label sent over hi-res versions of each cover separately. But wait, there's more...

The online retailer InterPunk has two distinctly different track listings for each version. See below:

Track listing for The Ape of God I, according to InterPunk:

1. "Eden's Gates"
2. "Promise"
3. "Shoulder Meat"
4. "Fist of Fury"
5. "Simia Dei"
6. "The Lash"
7. "Never Enter"
8. "After You’re Dead"

Track listing for The Ape of God II, according to InterPunk:

1. "Burden"
2. "Predators"
3. "A Hideous Nightmare Lie Upon the World"
4. "Arrows to Our Hearts"

Note that one version is significantly shorter than the other. Either one is an EP of bonus tracks, or maybe Old Man Gloom is trying something similar to the Seminars II & III albums and those four songs are all like 15-minutes-long on average. Who knows, maybe I really am just looking into this too much. But come on, that's quite the stack of evidence in my favor, is it not? Yes the band indirectly told me I was wrong, but isn't that just what you do in the entertainment industry? Lie about upcoming events? How many times did members of Black Sabbath publicly deny that they would be reforming for a year or two leading up to the official announcement? I believe some of them even said it would "never happen."

If I'm right about the above, why not tell anyone? I believe the band wanted everyone to go out and buy The Ape of God not knowing which version they would get, find out it was all an elaborate scheme, then try to find the album's counterpart in an elaborate Easter egg hunt. This is a very cool idea, but would have been better if it was like 1970 and the internet wasn't a thing. How do you release a double album secretly on iTunes or Spotify? It will immediately be apparent that it has two parts. And as I've shown above, not everyone will play along. Online music retailers have a vested interest in making sure their customers are satisfied and get exactly what they believe they are paying for. The only way to do it "right" would be to release it exclusively through your own store and alternate between the two versions with each package you box up -- but such a limited release would have some drawbacks as well. And if I'm totally wrong, then Profound Lore has a ton of web stores to send grumpy emails to for listing two different version of the same product and possibly tricking people into buying the same album twice.

Oh well, I'll love me some Gloom no matter how it's released! Check out the two preview tracks "Predators" and "The Lash" below.

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