Release Date: July 19th 2024. Record Label: Peaceville Records. Formats: CD/DD/Vinyl
Science, Not Fiction: Tracklisting
1.The Fire At The Centre Of The Earth Is Mine
2.(Not) Rocket Science
3.Ascend The Negative
4.False Hope Diet
5.Cemetary Rats
6.The Fury Of A Patient Man
7.Gemini (Twins Of Evil)
8.The Justice Knife
9.End Of Transmission
Members
Chris Turner - Drums
Joe Hoare - Guitars
Ben Ward - Vocals
Harry Armstrong - Bass
Review
It's a beautiful Thursday night, the moon shining brightly in the sky as I sit out on the back porch and smoke a nice little joint. My fiancee and her kiddo headed off to see some band called AJR at Ball Arena in Denver so I turned on the ole stereo system and cranked up the new Orange Goblin. Orange Goblin. The name is synonymoums with the Heavy Underground. These guys have been bringing the riffs for years and they are about to tear another hole in the fabric of the stoner rock scene wide open with their newest effort, Science, Not Fiction.
The songwriting of Orange Goblin is a cut above a lot of other stuff coming out recently. Great lyrics that mesh perfectly with the usic, perfectly placed in the mix make this album so listenable. Science, Not Fiction is the album you want to break out to your friends and show them that the heavy underground isn't just a bunch of droning doom, but it also has bands that will kick you in the ass and make you get up and rock the fuck out. This is a sativa amongst so many indicas in the heavy underground.
Obviously Orange Goblin isn't the only band playing at this pace but Orange Goblin is accessible without compromising on anything. Crushing guitars, pounding rhythms, and smart lyrics have me placing this album at a different level from most of what I have heard this year. I guess it's what I might expect from the mighty Orange Goblin but I'm still blown the fuck away by this ripper. I can't see this getting off my stereo anytime soon, I want to listen to it over and over again! A heavy underground classic!
My quick impressions of the songs on this fabulous album:
The Fire at the Center of the Earth is Mine starts off the proceedings with an absolutely crushing riff. Fuzzy distortion and manic guitars lead into a killer rock song. The vocals are fantastic, providing a fun sing along chorus. The vocal mix is excellent here, perfectly placed it neither dominates the jam nor does it get lost under the other instruments. Heavy, heavy rock and roll here. This is straight up heavy underground madness. Blistering pace held together by a stellar rhythm section. This one rips all the way through, with elements of hard desert stoner rock and classic metal riffs. This is just pure hard rock.
(Not) Rocket Science is a jam with grungy, punky sensibilities. This one has excellent vocals and great lyrics. You will be singing along to this one. Bouncing and fun with an edge. This is a rock song in the Motorhead tradition. Excellent bass and powerful drumming accompany the excellent vocal work and the driving guitar. This is one of many songs on this album that would be on the radio in a perfect world.
Ascend the Negative is so damn positive! I love this track, uplifting without being preachy. This pounding rocker will have you pumping your fist and telling yourself that you can do it, whatever it is. This fits in perfectly with the album's overall theme.
The next track, False Hope Diet starts with a more contemplative approach, building tempo as it gets cranking. The lyrics here are strong...a warning. This is a vocal driven rocker but with stellar, heavy guitar thunder. False Hope Diet is really fun to sing along to, I can imagine this will be a crowd pleaser if they play it live.
Piano opens Cemetery Rats and I got a weird momentary black parade flashback before the occultist psychedelia kicked in, slowing the pace of the record for a good minute and a half before breaking into some hard thrashy riffs! I love this, pure metal insanity. This is the kind of song that has so much crossover potential. Cemetery Rats has got to appeal to some of those in the cocaine-metal, Slayer/Pantera camp. This song just rips.
The Fury of a Patient Man is another punky, grungy face melter. I like how the punk influence shines through here. The song trades off between a punkish delivery and a softer yet still hard edge sound. There are very cool songwriting skills on display throughout the album, especially highlighted on this smoking hot jam.
Gemini (Twins of Evil), a classic hard rocker. Excellent, clearly sung vocals are a pleasure that is more rare than I wish it was in this genre. This is another wonderful song that crosses lines and if rock radio existed this song would be in regular rotation on your local album oriented rock station.
The Justice Knife is a spacey hard rocking thrasher, with interesting depth to not only the lyrics but the layering of the instruments and textures of the song. Almost Slift like in the constant swaying groove this song has amazing power!
End of Transmission ties this brilliant album together. The final cut on most versions of the album, this is yet another strong rocker. The vocals soar and convey an urgency to find answers to the questions asked throughout the proceedings. This badass song is what I consider uncompromising ROCK AND ROLL.
There is a bonus track. Eye of the Minotaur is some dark, occult goodness. Grungy, punky and metal altogether in one; the bonus track makes excellent use of clever lyrics and cool tempo changes throughout this ripper. The guitar work here is unique, with cool unexpected tones, stops, and blistering fills makes this one move along and once again brought me to my feet, pumping my fist and banging my head.
Thematically strong, this album explores the rift between science and religion. The songs follow this theme throughout. Obviously timely and an important discussion, it's cool to see a band addressing current issues while not coming across as preachy. Very punky in theme and lyrical content Orange Goblin embraces various genres and styles while making this album very much ORANGE GOBLIN. This stuff is gonna punch you in your face and leave you a little sweaty, bruised and amazed. I don't think I've heard a better album this year. I'm in awe of Orange Goblin. Go listen to this RIGHT NOW!
Words by S Patrick Brooks
Thanks to For The Lost PR for the promo.
Science, Not Fiction is now available to buy on CD/DD/Vinyl via Peaceville Records
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