LORD GOBLIN – Lord Goblin

vote
8.0

• Band:
  LORD GOBLIN
• Duration: 00:38:38
• Available from: 10/03/2024
• Label:

• No Remorse Records

Even though it's quite late compared to the official release, we absolutely can't help but offer our readers one of the best surprises of the current year, by a combo that theoretically flies the English flag, but which in reality is composed entirely of Italian musicians, some of whom are already well-known in the underground scene due to their participation in projects (such as the epic metallers Icy Steel or the more progressive Memento Waltz).
It is not easy to describe the musical proposal of Lord Goblin, as it appears undeniable that at the base there is healthy and classic epic heavy metal, but with influences that draw directly from old-school power and black metal, and to a lesser extent also from stoner/doom, especially if you observe the management of the rhythm and the keyboard inserts with almost psychedelic drifts; not to mention of course the dark and at the same time bright atmosphere that you breathe while approaching a selection of songs that are nothing short of disconcerting, albeit with some very small perplexity at a structural level, which we will talk about later.
“Northern Skyline” welcomes us immediately with a belligerent beginning, musically in line with what one would expect to find in an epic black metal album, along the lines of Bathory or the more recent Stormruler, but soon the clean – though never sugary – voice of frontman Marco Piu makes it clear that we are in the presence of an album that does not intend to sacrifice the catchiest component, as well as its origins well rooted in a genre made famous by legends such as Manowar or Slough Feg, with the addition of that light semblance of Candlemass hovering around the entire musical section.
“The Wanderer” slows down the pace, while putting more emphasis on the numerous chiaroscuro effects and on the vocal melodies, which are truly engaging in conjunction with the choruses, unlike “The Oracle” which proudly shows off its role as the most epic/doom track of the package, to the delight of all those who feel a jolt in their spirit every time a song by Doomsword or Crypt Sermon emerges from a sound system.
The instrumental “Freedom Rider” is also impeccable, with its melodic and rhythmic solutions that succeed in the not so simple task of raising it to a level comparable to its counterparts with vocals, also thanks to an optimally managed guitar work, with phrases and obbligatos used ad hoc in full heavy/power tradition, despite the fact that in the background there is always a wall of sound more in line with the bloodiest black metal. With a little imagination, this song would be the perfect soundtrack for a hectic phase of a dark/fantasy novel or video game.
Although we believe that the 'drums only' section of “Thunderous Smite” could have been avoided, the fact that it acts as a prelude to the two distinct parts of the long track “Light Of A Black Sun” is enough for us to temporarily put aside the criticisms, as we are undoubtedly talking about the most powerful and multifaceted phase of the entire album, in which it seems that the different solutions adopted reach their full maturity and then embrace each other and unleash a wave of unstoppable energy: whether you are a lover of power metal or black metal, in these two extracts (to be observed as a single thing) you will have something to rejoice about, also because we have rarely had the chance to try such epic, yet so versatile vocal lines. If we wanted to stick our necks out, these wouldn't be out of place on an Atlantean Kodex album, or even on a Wintersun one, even if we think it's difficult to find a better place for them than the current one: a musical base in the style of Dissection, with a melodic section worthy of Blind Guardian, what more could you want from a debut band?
We are extremely pleased to know that the famous label No Remorse has first set its sights and then its contribution on what will be the immediate continuation of the career of these guys, because we believe there is a real need for them to make users and colleagues understand how to passionately and intelligently contaminate the purest metal.
So, considering our enthusiasm, what could be the flaw mentioned in the first lines? Very simply, the same one that also afflicts the more than excellent album by their American colleagues Savage Oath: a short duration and a tracklist that seems almost incomplete. For Lord Goblin the speech is the same, that is five sung pieces, an instrumental and a drum interlude: the result in the end seems worthy of note, but also a bit short and with a hint of incompleteness. If the band had decided to include also a couple of excerpts from the EP “The Ordeal”, our vote could easily increase by at least half a point.
We hope that the band can work in this direction, keeping in mind that we are talking about an astonishing work from almost every point of view, and that we hope to be able to test it live soon, also in the hope that the recognition from the public can reach the deserved levels.