EP Review: Sepulchre by the Sea – Goldseeker (Self Released)

It has been a little while since we last checked in with the atmospheric black metal solo project, Sepulchre by the Sea, but multi-instrumentalist Ash is back, and back with a brand-new three-track EP called ‘Goldseeker’. The EP is inspired by Edgar Allan Poe’s stories ‘Some Words with a Mummy’, ‘The Gold Bug’ & ‘Ligeia’ (all stories which reference ancient Egypt) and will be released on November 6th, 2026.

It’s always a pleasure to hear new music from Sepulchre by the Sea, and as those who have been listening since the early days of the project will recognise, this EP represents evolution. Albeit evolution that comes with one eye on the past as Ash refines the core blackened and atmospheric aspects of it. That is how we end up with a stunning effort like Blood of the Scarabeus. Where haunting, mysterious, and sinister ambience crashes headfirst into ferocious black metal and dramatic melody. It’s an extensive crawl through the mind of Ash, which had been warped by the mind of Poe, and shows off an incredible amount of depth.

If we’re talking depth though, the title track is downright fathomless and easily one of my favourite Sepulchre by the Sea tracks to date, and all because of how well Ash uses melody here. It’s a frenetic listen but the intensity comes from wildly different directions creating several immense tone shifts that left me gobsmacked. It is a stunning effort, filled with clever and creative ideas that lift it way beyond the atmospheric black metal tag.

Don’t believe me? Wait until you get to the four-minute mark. I love it so much that I am going to call this one of my favourite tracks of the year.

It’s a tough ask for Visions of Ligeia to follow that but this is a brilliantly refined Sepulchre by the Sea so what we get here is special too. Although this one comes with a darker, moodier, and more morose tone. It’s a track with an unhurried pace, transforming in horror fashion into something doomier, before the blackened side begins to seep in more and more.

It caps off a startlingly good EP and shows just how far Sepulchre by the Sea has come since the release of the debut record in 2020.

Sepulchre by the Sea – Goldseeker Track Listing:

1. Blood of the Scarabeus
2. Goldseeker
3. Visions of Ligeia

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