Formed in late summer of 1998 by Hunter Holland and brothers Frank and Serge Stroehmer, Wilmington, North Carolina's Gollum - a name derived from the Yiddish “goylem” which literally translates to “shapeless mass” - is the epitome of original metal. From the moment they stepped into a room for that all important first jam, the hypnotic corrosive guitars of Frank Stroehmer, the pulsating bass of his brother Serge, and the blitzkrieg drumming of Hunter Holland all combined to create a surrealistic environment, out of step with boring verse-chorus-verse confinements in traditional songwriting.

“Hunter and I met through a mutual friend during college at UNCW and always talked about getting together and jamming after realizing that each of us were into heavy music. I had played with Hunter and was very impressed to say the least. He was instantly and would forever be recognized as one of the best, most intense drummers the world has ever known! Serge soon came into the picture after moving down to Wilmington from Goldsboro to live with me. The three of us got acquainted and started jamming regularly. The chemistry was undeniable,” explains Frank, whom later began to incorporate samples and keyboards to extend Gollum’s palette to epic sonic proportions.

After honing their craft to a sharp yet muscular point, Gollum took their act on the road, playing show after show to awed audiences in their wake from North Carolina to Los Angeles to New York City and beyond. They opened for the likes of Mastodon, Soilent Green, Vital Remains, Incantation, God Forbid, Death Angel, The Acacia Strain, Rwake, Alabama Thunderpussy, Minsk, The Dave Brockie Experience (GWAR), Dysrhythmia, Lake Trout, Skeletonwitch, Crisis, and NC's sludge kings, Weedeater.

Gollum self-produced and released their first full-length album in 2004. 'Lesser Traveled Waters' featured a track with Grammy-nominated singer D. Randall Blythe of Lamb of God and received numerous positive reviews. The heavy hitters were beginning to take notice.

Since their inception, the band had various vocalists before finding a keeper in early 2008 in the form of Shawn Corbett. A multi-instrumentalist and old friend of the band, Corbett’s talent and natural intensity were a perfect fit with the band’s music and their goals to keep taking their sound higher. At this time a considerable buzz was going around about Gollum, and they caught the attention of LA-based label Rotten Records. After a three month courting process and a successful showcase in Wilmington, the band signed to the label in June 2008. Gollum quickly went into the studio to craft and perfect what would become their first Rotten release, 'The Core'.

By summer’s end, the band was almost finished with the album and getting excited about what the future held for them. Tragically, a few weeks after he completed ‘The Core’ drum tracks, founding member Hunter Holland suddenly died of an apparent heart attack on September 10, 2008 in Raleigh, North Carolina. The surviving members were crushed by Holland’s passing and put everything on hold while they pondered the loss of their brother and the future of the band without one of its integral members. Yet they realized they had to soldier on as they felt Hunter would have wanted them to, and went about the task of searching for a new drummer.

Almost from the beginning of this process they had someone in mind.

Gifted drummer and friend Seth Long, who had played with Frank in a side project, was recruited into the fold, playing his first show with Gollum on New Year's Eve of 2009.

The band has since continued to play and promote for audiences along the East Coast as Rotten Records prepares the release and MAJOR distribution of 'The Core' on April 14, 2009.