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It was Bloodstock 2014. When the dark heavy clouds gave way to a heavy downpour, it was with a stroke of both gloom and luck when I took shelter in the New Blood Stage Tent at the start of King Goats set. With incense burning and the gentle mesmerizing guitars lulling the festival-goers into a trance, they open with the mighty epic ‘The Final Decline’, a song that sounded like it was a crafted by a band at the peak of their career. Yet this band had only just begun and I found myself an instant fan, absorbing their EP and the spiraling debut ‘Conduit’ and pourously singing their praises like a manic doom-sponge.
King Goat specialize in the more progressive, atmospheric end of doom and this time they seem to have focused more on the other unique appeal of their sound – psychedelia. ‘Rapture’ demonstrates this from the opening few seconds putting you right there in the mist from the get go with the signature operatic vocals directing the drama of the lyrics. They are at their best when they build to a crescendo where the vocals really soar and the doom-riffs close in but those moments are rare here on this album. It’s the biggest criticism that the songs rarely boil over but it is to the albums credit that with songs clocking in at 8/9 minutes, they remain engaging and interesting through the whole albums run time. King Goat are more direct with classic riffing on ‘Eremites Rest’ and ‘Doldrums Sentinels’ but the appeal is enjoying this album as a journey than a series of destinations. The albums mood is best summed up in the instrumental ‘Psychaesthenia’ where the subtle elements you couldn’t quite put your finger on so far are distilled in its brooding brilliance. The album ends on a high, ‘On Dusty Avenue’ tells a powerful story of isolation, cleverly building tension until it peaks with soaring career-best vocal performance. Afterwards, the song closes the album with dramatic, whirling doom riffs that heave with emotional weight – achieving an albums worth of catharsis.
The increased depth and subtleties on this album reward repeated listens, and on the strength of this effort and their recent live shows, King Goat continue to show themselves as one of the brightest prospects of their genre. 8/10 - Michael Randall