Lord Goblin’s debut full-length passed me by when it first came out digitally in March, but thanks to No Remorse Records picking it up for a CD/vinyl release in November I had the opportunity to spend time with a band that’s doing some very cool things within the heavy metal genre. While they’re based out of England, Lord Goblin’s members are of Italian origin and some of those influences are evident in their material. Opting for fast paced riffs that fall somewhere between epic heavy metal, first-wave black metal, and even the atmosphere and fluidity of 70’s hard rock/proto metal, this band fuses together classic influences in a way that feels different from the norm and have the songwriting chops to back it up. It’s a fairly short listen at thirty-eight minutes, but the way the songs flow and the catchiness of the riffs and vocal arrangements will have listeners wanting to regularly spin this album from beginning to end.
It doesn’t take long upon hitting play for Lord Goblin to reveal their more epically skewed scope, as “Northern Skyline” delivers high energy riffs, haunting keyboards, and pounding drums that establishes a huge and triumphant sound in the first minute. Initially this track has more of a heavy metal flair with drumming that gives things a black metal edge with some blast-beats, but things expand and transform into something that’s more of a cross between epic heavy/speed metal and earlier black metal. It’s the type of sound that immediately grabbed me, as the harsher edges give off a Primordial feel while the heavy metal foundation has hints of earlier Bulldozer. Then you take that combination and wrap it in the atmosphere from the keyboards that falls between Goblin and classic Italian and other European progressive and hard rock from the 70s, and this gives a good idea of what Lord Goblin has woven together. Sometimes this results in thunderous and anthemic heavy metal that has some abrasive edges underneath its earworm exterior, while other times the black metal is at the forefront as the tempos whip things up into a chaotic frenzy (“Light of a Black Sun, Pt. 1”). There’s a lot of meat to these tracks, with multiple passages that get stuck in your head, and despite the bands I previously namedropped the way this group brings it all together feels fresh and different. They even opt for some extended instrumental sections around the halfway mark of the album, letting the colder black metal tonality and triumphant guitar leads drive “Freedom Rider” while “Thunderous Smite” is an extended drum solo reminiscent of what a lot of classic rock bands used to offer in their live performances. I’m not sure that breaking these two moments up as individual songs was the most effective approach given the shorter length of the album, but that may also be a personal preference. But besides that slight nitpick, there are sections on every song that have stuck with me since the first listen and the way the riffs hit both triumphant, fists in the air type energy and that colder black metal edge is addictive.
The instrumentals may blend powerful melodies and heavy metal riffs with black metal, but the vocals keep things firmly rooted in heavy metal. Lord Goblin’s vocalist (who also goes by Lord Goblin) has a powerful, soaring voice that is able to offer some grittier pitches alongside ones that have an almost operatic tone. This may not quite be the extreme jumps to falsettos a la King Diamond, but the vocals showcase quite a bit of range and sometimes gave off a vibe similar to bands like Atlantean Codex. Occasionally the group does jump into the harsher side with some slight screams/growls, but they’re used more as backing chants that contribute some extra intensity rather than a key element. Chances are good there will be specific verses that get stuck in your head due to the anthemic qualities, and this type of strong vocal work really helps to elevate Lord Goblin above an already strong foundation.
What’s particularly exciting to me about Lord Goblin is that they’ve left themselves plenty of room to expand on any of the heavy, prog, or black metal leanings heard on their debut while also starting off at an incredibly high level. This compact debut goes by quickly but packs a lot of substance in both its instrumentation and soaring vocal work, Individually the styles they’re working with are familiar, but they’re brought together in a way that is exciting and far less derivative fashion than is typical for newer bands. If you missed out on this one earlier in the year don’t let it pass you by, and I’ll be keeping tabs on what this band does in the future.
-Review by Chris Dahlberg