Release Date: June 13th 2025. Record Label: Blues Funeral Recordings. Formats: CD/DD/Vinyl
In The Dawn Of November - Tracklisting
1.In the Dawn of November
2.Cemetery Blues
3.Depressive Episode
4.Sick of Your Shit
5.I Wanna Be Dead
6.Comes with the Fall
Members
Marcus Bryant - Drums
Jeffrey Owens - Guitar/Vocals
CJ Sholtis - Bass
Review
Doom/Stoner Metal Heavyweights Goya are back with their latest opus In The Dawn Of November. I’m surprised this record is being released at the start of summer season and not near Halloween season where the record will no doubt ultimately thrive the most. As the record is full of heavy, seedy and downtuned gloomy sounds the likes of Saint Vitus, Electric Wizard and Ramesses used to make back in the day.
Goya have been missing in action for eight years and I thought the band had split up though low and behold their back with their new record. In The Dawn Of November has a classic nihilistic and gloomy atmosphere which perhaps propels the DOOM METAL surroundings of their sound to the forefront of the action. The lyrics are constantly about DEATH with Jeffery Owens sounding like he’s selling his soul to the GRIM REAPER of the DEVIL himself. The music has a sublime PROTO-METAL quality with the sudden shift to Fuzzed Up Sludge Metal dynamics being built up superbly well within the excellent opening track In The Dawn Of November.
Goya feel reborn and energized with first rate songwriting and an epic musical performance that can only be described as HUGE and REVOLUTIONARY with it’s stripped back energy coming along thanks to the fabulous work of the legendary Jack Endino who engineered, recorded, mixed and mastered the whole album. Jack propels Goya into the league of DOOM METAL masters with their stunning array of riff-centric tracks that are equally dangerous to boot with the band touching upon some damaged, fractured and fragile human emotions within the lyrics written for the whole album.
I’m not afraid this record is perhaps the “BEST ALBUM THAT THE CLASSIC LINE-UP OF ELECTRIC WIZARD” never recorded. As Goya taps into the sound the mighty Electric Wizard delivered back in the day especially on tracks such as Cemetery Blues, Depressive Episode, Sick Of Your Shit and I Wanna Be Dead. These tracks alone allows Goya to project their “NO FUCKS GIVEN” attitude against the whole world with reckless abandonment though the music remains constantly original, aggressive and catchy as fuck. The band surround themselves with moments of Grunge, Sludge, Classic Doom, Fuzz and Stoner Metal which is highly melodic that Goya splice with trippy keyboards and gloomy synths.
The neverending use of freaky guitar pedals, feedback and amplifier reverb has been used on Goya’s previous record but this is the most menacing and commanding use of music I’ve heard from the band. In The Dawn Of November is a tour-de-force of modern day DOOM METAL that allows the other elements and genres of Goya’s sound to feel quite real and grounded. There’s a ton of outlandish and monolithic instrumental soundscapes which adds a dangerous level of VOLUME into the whole album that leaves you wholly satisfied and wanting to listen to the album over, over and over again.
In The Dawn Of November is gonna turn heads within the underground scene and even beyond with GOYA delivering their best record to date.
Mind-blowing. End Of.
Words by Steve Howe
Thanks to Purple Sage PR for the promo.
In The Dawn Of November is available to buy now on CD/DD/Vinyl via Bandcamp, Bluesfuneral.com and SPKR shop
