The number of musical projects Rob Crow has been involved in over the past thirty years is considerable, though most listeners may be most familiar with his work in Thingy, Heavy Vegetable, or Pinback. Pinback in particular gained a lot of traction in the late 90s and early 2000s, channeling a sound that fell somewhere in between indie rock/pop and emo. In 2005 Crow expanded his musical repertoire with Goblin Cock, which retained a lot of his trademark humor and quirkiness but took things in a heavier and metallic direction (along with a very literal representation of the band name via the album art). Crow adopted the appropriate name of Lord Phallus for his work with Goblin Cock, and while releases were infrequent each one tweaked the core stoner rock/metal and doom elements. The project would go dormant over the last decade, as Necronomidonkeykongimicon and its companion EP Dragonfucker: A Cock Opera came out in 2016, and a limited edition covers album followed two years later. But 2026 has finally brought the project out of hibernation, and this year’s Traumanaut brings noticeable shifts with it. The songwriting retains some of the heavier, crunchier tones from years past but also brings in a bit more alternative rock, plus the lyrical approach is a bit less outright comedic. Based on these shifts, does the latest effort capture the same appeal and catchiness as Goblin Cock’s earlier work?
The answer to the above question is an enthusiastic yes, as while there are certain aspects of the instrumentation that feel a bit lighter in comparison to Bagged and Boarded and Come With Me If You Want to Live!, you still get plenty of low-end rumbling and a good sense of weight that retains the metallic foundation of the band. But it does feel like Crow has found the closest middle ground between Goblin Cock and Pinback for this newest album without losing the unique identities the two have. Early tracks like “A Tracing of Angels” and “On the Night You Left” have drearier guitar melodies that remind me quite a bit of Pinback’s Blue Screen Life, but when reframed through Goblin Cock’s shifts towards rumbling stoner rock and doom they continue to give off more of a unique tone. This does feel like the brightest and most melodic oriented Goblin Cock has been, and the way that the alternative and indie rock vibes collide with the weightier grooves proves to be quite appealing. It reminds me of the back-and-forth later Torche was able to achieve, offering moments of drearier introspection alongside big, booming hooks and this is where Traumanaut really shines. Tracks like “Fifth Reich Bio-Dome” instantly grab you with faster, math-y riffing and transitions over to denser, muscular riffs, and the hooks have real staying power. Also worth noting is closing track “Two Swords”, which reframes classic ska band The Beat’s original into a punchier and heavier sound that feels like it would’ve fit in on the earlier Tony Hawk Pro Skater soundtracks. My only complaint is that there are a few tracks that have very similar melodies and structures, which does make it a bit hard to tell apart over repeat listens.
Compared to Goblin Cock’s earlier material, Traumanaut’s vocals come through a bit softer and don’t have quite as much of that stoner rock bite to them. This is where things feel a bit closer to Pinback to me, and there is a bit more introspection and social commentary to the lyrics compared to some of the outright absurdity and humor of the past. Yet this slightly more serious and inward-looking variant of Goblin Cock doesn’t really lose anything in the transition, as there are still some humorous elements to how things are presented. There is a good amount of variety to the performance, as songs like “Fifth-Reich Biodome” have a bit more power behind them and the singing stands tall above the instrumentals, while “On the Night You Left” has a breezier and melancholic approach. On the latter Crow reminds me a bit of Failure’s Ken Andrews, and this is an album that would have plenty of crossover with that band’s fanbase.
Twenty-one years after Goblin Cock first appeared with their eye-catching band name and doomier, stoner tinged take on alternative rock, the project has gone through one of its most significant transformations yet. The big, booming hooks and crunchier guitar tone that give hints of Torche and Sleep remain, but there’s more of an emphasis on somber melodies and a bit more of the alternative rock side of the house alongside a change in the lyrical focus. It feels like a natural meeting of the Pinback and Goblin Cock sides of Rob Crow’s musical wheelhouse, and while a few of the songs run together for me I’ve still had this album on repeat for days. Crow has a knack for finding the right balance between catchy melodic hooks and weightier riffs that can draw in the metal crowd, and it’s exciting to hear more from this piece of his catalog. Traumanaut is available from Joyful Noise Recordings.
-Review by Chris Dahlberg