ALBUM REVIEW: Ritual – Goat Major
When people think of Wales, they see castles, King Arthur, Celtic monuments of a forgotten age, dramatic landscapes, mountain ranges and a land of song shrouded in mist and drenched in folklore and magic. In its furthest southwestern reaches lies the county of Pembrokeshire, a region rich in history from the Roman period to the modern day. Steeped in folklore with tales like Adam and the Adder, Cecil of Nevern and Carningli, it is an inspirational place to start an occult doom band. So, in the shadow of Pembrokeshire castle – where none other than Henry VII Tudor was born in 1457 – GOAT MAJOR formed during the harsh lockdowns of the pandemic.
The Welsh occult doom newcomers have had a pretty sharp rise, being signed to leading stoner, doom and heavy psych label Ripple Music after the release of their Evil Eye EP and sharing the stage with the likes of THUNDER HORSE, WYTCH HAZEL and PARISH. The band’s sound is a mixture of ELECTRIC WIZARD and early KADAVAR with the folky aesthetic of GREEN LUNG and their debut album Ritual is a gritty, grimy and eerie adventure into old school occult doom. Drenched in ridiculous amounts of fuzz and reverb, you can feel the shadows closing in around you with every monolithic riff. Made up of Jammie Arnold (guitar), Simon Bonwick (drums) and Tom Shortt (bass/vocals), GOAT MAJOR are certainly wanting to make an impact in the stoner/doom niche.
Just like the giant Pembrokeshire sarsen stones that make up Stonehenge, GOAT MAJOR specialise in carving out huge riffs from Welsh rock. Alongside sinister lead guitar lines, the band create an ominous and imposing atmosphere which is reminiscent of early ELECTRIC WIZARD. The album conjures up apocalyptic imagery of screaming demons and eerie rituals that summon the fires of hell to ravage the land. It is clear to see that the band have been inspired by their surroundings; the dark magic that swirls around the Welsh countryside seeps into every doom-laden riff.
The strong themes of occultism have been a staple part of doom since time immemorial, and now with bands exploring more niche topics of folklore, history and sci-fi does GOAT MAJOR bring anything new to the table? Short answer is no, not really. Even though Ritual contains all the essential hallmarks of an occult doom record and doesn’t really stray from the established order, it is still a heavy and enjoyable album. It serves its purpose and is a perfectly serviceable debut album but it doesn’t blow you away.
Outside of the songs themselves, the album’s production lets it down slightly. While it creates the desired grim and grimy atmosphere, it doesn’t have the punch you’d expect. It is clear that GOAT MAJOR are chasing that ELECTRIC WIZARD vibe but it doesn’t have that gut-punching heaviness. This could possibly be down to the band’s plentiful use of reverb to create the effect of a cavernous space taking away from the meatier parts of the distortion. You feel if that had been dialled back a bit you’d have that ELECTRIC WIZARD style punch that they’re looking for. While these are somewhat minor issues it does have an effect on the overall listening experience.
The album opens up with Snakes (Goddess Of The Serpent), a sludgy and doomy WIZARD-esque journey into the void. Followed up by the title track Ritual, the scene is well and truly set for the rest of the record. Dark imagery of pagan rituals, menacing figures in the firelight and blood sacrifices on ancient stones all come to the fore as GOAT MAJOR work through their hypnotic riffs. Turn To Dust is a slow dirge into the bowels of darkness; sinister organ chords encase slow droning chords before the song comes to life and sounds like early GHOST. Light Of The End has that tried and tested BLACK SABBATH-esque bluesy vibe and swagger in its main riff interjected by wah-pedalled leads.
Power That Be and Mountains Of Madness have similar approaches; both tracks are dark, heavy and ominous whereas the latter has a dizzying, circular groove that lends well to the song’s title. Of course, the song opens you up to a world of Lovecraftian horrors beyond your darkest nightmares. Evil Eye is a slab-dragging, sludgy doom track that encapsulates the band’s occult theme and penchant for long discordant drones perfectly. The album finishes with Lay Me Down, an almost psychedelic track that closes the record in a way that makes you feel like you are being returned to earth, ready to rise again through ancient necromancy.
Ritual is a pretty standard, run of the mill occult doom album; there’s nothing that really pops out of you but if you want a straightforward, grimy and grungy album to summon demons to GOAT MAJOR’s debut has you covered.
Rating: 6/10
Ritual is set for release on March 8th via via Ripple Music.
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