ALBUM REVIEW: The King’s Eternal Throne – Goblinsmoker
For all of the recent innovations within the genre, sometimes you just need your doom metal to sound like good old-fashioned doom metal. No keyboards, no proggy time signature changes, no soaring vocal harmonies. Just slow, fuzz-drenched, downtuned guitars, throbbing bass and pounding drums that sound like they’re being hit with warhammers rather than sticks. If that sounds like your cup of (mushroom) tea, then Durham duo GOBLINSMOKER have got you covered. For those unfamiliar with the band, their previous two releases told the opening chapters of the legend of the Toad King, a dark and fantastical story which chronicles the rise of a bitter, exiled monarch who rules over the forest where his goblin subjects sacrifice themselves to be smoked by their King. On The King’s Eternal Throne, we hear the final chapter in that trilogy, where the Toad King falls under the control of an evil shaman and is ultimately usurped by his own subjects.
If this twisted dark-fantasy tale of a toad getting high by smoking goblins in a big forest isn’t immediately your thing, fear not. Despite it being a key element of GOBLINSMOKER’s identity, the story itself isn’t a key part of enjoying the bleak, distorted doom the band creates, although it does add another layer of immersion into their weird world if you’re up for that. Although only four songs long, the first three tracks alone fill an entire thirty minutes and opening track Shamanic Rites sets the tone nicely with its glacial pace, crushing riffs and shrieking, black metal style vocal delivery. This is doom very much in the CONAN corner of the genre: the guitars of Adam Kennedy have their fuzz-pedals turned up to eleven, the bass is downtuned to elicit a troubling rumble in the stomach as you listen and Michael Guthrie’s drums, with their pounding toms and punchy kick drum, sound completely apocalyptic. The production work of PIJN’s Joe Clayton (BARBARIAN HERMIT, WALLOWING) warrants a mention here too, creating as it does a huge sound in the studio without losing any of the grimy nastiness of a GOBLINSMOKER live show (where you’ll no doubt encounter a few patrons wandering around in big rubber toad masks).
Second track Burn Him begins at an even slower pace, sinister bass and guitar riffs suggesting the end could well be nigh for our titular amphibian friend. Guthrie controls the vibe of this song brilliantly, driving the tempo up slightly in the verse sections with busier kick drum patterns before sitting back and letting it all open out more in the choruses. The final third of this one speeds up even more (but don’t worry, we’re hardly in thrash territory), veering off into a groovy, proto-metal section that helps to keep things fresh without losing any of the atmosphere of what’s come before it.
The tale of the Toad King ends with the title track, a mid-paced stomper that swings and grooves like CATHEDRAL circa 1993, introducing some psychedelic edges through the moody soundscapes that open the song and some wah-pedal infused solos. Whilst this may not represent the best ending for the poor Toad King himself, musically it rounds things off perfectly for us, with the sound of harsh winds blowing through the black forest which was once the King’s domain, before a creepy synth-led ambient soundscape finishes the record off completely. This is an excellent slab of harsh, old-school heavy doom that belies the fact it only really has three songs on it. It’s epic, droning, incredibly heavy and something that will reward multiple listens. All hail the (ex) Toad King!
Rating: 8/10
The King’s Eternal Throne is out now via APF Records.
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