ORANGE GOBLIN

Orange Goblin are a heavy stoner metal band that came out around 1997. They have released six albums so far, my favorites being "The Big Black"(2000), "Coup de Grace"(2002), and "Thieving From the House of God"(2004). Their sound can best be described as seamless fusion of Kyuss, Motorhead, and Black Sabbath. In other words, no holds barred balls to the wall acid burned hippie biker metal with a tinge of horror thrown in for good measure. The vocals are always solid...they sound like a cross between John Garcia of Kyuss and Lemmy of Motorhead.

All three of these albums differ greatly from each other, but the same attitude runs through each. "The Big Black" is a heavy, trippy, sprawling, stoner space rock epic. "Coup de Grace" keeps the stoner rock but adds a hefty dose of biker metal and punk to the mix. John Garcia of Kyuss even does guest vocals on two tracks: "Jesus Beater" and "Made of Rats". They also do a very faithful cover of The Misfits' "We Bite"! On "Thieving from the House of God", they still keep on the stoner side, but have mellowed out a bit. They draw on more traditional '70's rock for this album, creating a more melodic, yet still potent sound.

I highly recommend all three of these albums. They are not perfect, because Orange Goblin tends to wonder off and lose focus on longer tracks, which is nothing to complain about because there's only a few. I would start out with "Coup de Grace" because it is the strongest of the three.

'Til next time,
As John Garcia sings in "Made of Rats"...

"If it seems like I'm sinkin',
and I'm talking to the back of my hand,
it's because I've been drinkin',
cuz I don't understand..."

Here's "Scorpianica" from "The Big Black", "Monkey Panic" from "Coup de Grace", and "Some You Win, Some You Lose", from "Thieving from the House of God". Enjoy!