ALBUM REVIEW: Orange Goblin – The Wolf Bites Back

Today I bring a review of the new album from Stoner Metal legends ORANGE GOBLIN!

• Sons Of Salem opens with a wicked drum fill, super catchy guitar riffs and a really upbeat atmosphere. The lyrics and style of the vocal are as amazing as they have always been. On the second round of the chorus I already knew the lyrics due to their catchiness and was at the ready to headbang. Hearing this makes me want to see them live again after the first few times being amazing. This track has set the bar for the album very high.
• The Wolf Bites Back begins with really stunning acoustic guitar, it has an atmospheric western feel with the low hum of the bass creeping in and the drums joining the mix. The production is very intriguing. The riffs begin once again and the journey of the album continues. Once again a riff fuelled, catchy headbang worthy piece. The guitar solo is a blues-driven and classic belter, sounding absolutely beautiful.
• Renegade feels like it was torn right out of the 70s and is also jam-packed with amazing riffs. The track would make Motorhead proud for sure. This is real blues-driven, epic, Heavy Metal. 3 tracks in and I am already very aware I will be playing this album a hell of a lot. It’s classy but not pretentious, catchy but not repetitive and for me just hits all the right spots.
• Swords Of Fire opens with the mightiest of bass playing, the tone is perfect and just downright groovy. This track is so sludgy and the distorted sounds of the guitar and bass over a simple but catchy drum beat is so ridiculously crunchy in the best imaginable way. The more aggressive vocals caught me off guard, but certainly a new and interesting approach to add to the bands ever growing list of talents.
• Ghosts Of The Primitives reminds me of the lighter styles used on earlier albums and is gorgeously nostalgic in a sense as a long time Orange Goblin fan. It brings in heavier riffs but still has a really upbeat and positively chilled feeling, even with the gore filled lyrics. Astonishingly original and well written (along with every other track so far), this album has genuinely not had a part that isn’t catchy thus far. The outro also has a really cool phase in and out which is not something one generally hears these days, so kudos there for originality.
• In Bocca Al Lupo is a very nice interval of ascending and descending clean muted guitar/bass with a nice lead solo and tranquil chords. A nice settling piece to break up the bombardment of riffs and head banging tracks. There is something to it for me that feels very Iron Maiden, which is certainly not a complaint, I always appreciate a nod to the founding bands of our great genre, Heavy Metal.
• Suicide Division brings back the fuzzy, riffs with a really punky feel to it, something bands like Motorhead and Venom perfected all those years ago. This song is like nothing I have heard by Orange Goblin and immediately caught my attention. I think it is a great thing for them to push the boat out into new territory and especially in this instance it works so grandly in their favour. OG doing thrashing, punky, angsty numbers is something I never thought I would hear, and I am so glad to.
• The Stranger goes in the complete opposite direction, contradicting the previous with slower tempos, more bluesy clean guitars and thick bass lines over gentle drums and topped off with melodic and almost country like vocals. The parameters this album is reaching in 2 different directions works perfectly and gives us a varied, catchy and heavy listen. I always credit music that is original and not just a re release of the bands older stuff as being the best, for that’s the whole point of new music to me, something that actually is new, and this album delivers.
• Burn The Ships has more and more heavy riffs, they are simply glorious. This is the kind of track that made me fall in love with the music of this band so long ago. The social narrative of the lyrics is fascinating and the whole band perform it astoundingly. The mid section breaks up the song elegantly, keeping it interesting without losing any momentum. The song is yet another bombastic piece of catchy Stoner Metal.
• Zeitgeist is the final song of the album, it is genuinely sad to see it ending thus I know I’ll be playing it a lot. The song starts mellow with a feeling of something rising within. It’s catchy and has a really wonderful closing track style to it of being slower but still going out with a bang for sure. Excellent execution on the bands part, and equally on the part of the producer. The solo is sheerly spectacular and as the song ends there is a real sense of closure for the album.

I am extremely happy to see the return of Orange Goblin and such a grandiose and monumental return at that! This albums offers some of the most class and also heaviest Orange Goblin songs I have ever heard, with amazing songwriting and production it is a must in the home of every Metalhead, Rocker and anyone who likes varied heavy music! -9/10