Nothing to do with the stronger, 6.6% version on Wychwood’s Hobgoblin brew, this London foursome make a bold statement of intent on this, their debut EP. They’ve barely been in existence more than a few months, but this five-tracker is fast and furious.
Mötörhead, Entombed, Cancer Bats and Amen are all cited in the band’s biography, and they’re all fair reference points for a band who pile in hard with some aggressive punk-influenced hard rock that throbs and chugs with some high-octane riffage delivered with real attack.
The press release promises an ‘unforgiving mix of death metal and punk, with unrelenting thrash and punk beats,’ and they deliver, quite spectacularly. If the title ‘Drugs, Blood & Death ‘n’ Roll’ suggests that Goblin King are a band who revel in the clichés of hard rock and heavy metal, then it’s a fair representation. But it’s done knowingly, and the performance and production are so full-on it’ clear that they’re serious about how they bring it all together.
The title track bails in full-throttle with a snarling roar and spits the nihilist refrain ‘this shit don’t turn me on’. ‘Goblin King’ is obviously designed as something of a signature tune, and with its gnarly sing-song chorus that stomps along furiously, it fits the bill nicely in a nasty sort of way.
|
The guitars are dirty, the bass grinds along and registers somewhere around the pelvis, and the drums are hefty. ‘Drugs, Blood & Death n Roll’ is grimy, sweaty, greasy, thunderous and heavy in the best possible way. It’s ain’t pretty, but it kicks serious ass.
|
