When it comes to doom metal nowadays, you find it rearing its ugly head in many different forms. Be it the token slowed down Black Sabbath worship meets tons and tons of weed, or the downtuned, brick wall to the face side of things. King Goat lean more towards the classic era of doom from the likes of Cathedral, Paradise Lost and My Dying Bride. Vocally there’s Dio style crooning mixed with some properly angry shouty parts layered across the top, as opposed to the Satan and weed filled ballads of Electric Wizard, or the horrid hate-filled wall of noise conjured by Primitive Man, Thou and the like.
From the get go, Brighton’s King Goat make it abundantly clear that they know how to write a mean sounding riff. Every song reaps souls with an abundance of riffs. Even when they drop it down a notch into quieter, more melodic territories like in Doldrum Sentinels, no intensity is lost. If anything it make the subsequent sections hit harder.
One thing that King Goat are very talented at doing – which is clear all the way through the album – is the art of building up and progressing songs. The songs take on a life of their own as they unfold, starting at one point and ending somewhere completely different, like you’re being taken on a journey. Songs like title track Debt of Aeons are a perfect example of this, turning the riff game up to eleven when it starts to get into the swing of things; the vocals start off as a croon before suddenly changing to piercings screams and then switching back to sung vocals in a way that power metal bands would long for.
With Debt of Aeons, King Goat have captured every little bit of the classic doom sound, recreating it in their own image and nailing it to the wall. A thoroughly enjoyable, progressive piece of work that doesn’t suffer under its own grandeur. Those who worship at the altar of the riff, this is what you want. Sack off the latest Electric Wizard record, this is where it’s at.
7/10
You can get this pre-ordered from the King Goat Bandcamp page on gatefold vinyl (limited to 250 copies) or digital download.
