Orange Goblin – Science, Not Fiction
Reviewed by: Blake Mossey
Review Score: 8.5
“It’s not rocket science, its heavy metal baby” Stoner Metal band Orange Goblin set to release their 10th studio album titled Science, Not Fiction. Album out July 19th on Peaceville Records.
Quote from the band, “There’s no point in dressing it up. We’re a meat and potatoes heavy metal band. There are so many genres around these days, people have funny ideas about what heavy metal is. But to me, it’s an attitude, it’s a lifestyle, it’s not something you decide to dip into. You either are or you’re not. And it’s for life.”
Orange Goblin‘s 1st album was released in 1997 and they hit the stoner rock stage and they got more doom like with albums like The Big Black (2000) and their most recent release The Wolf Bites Back in (2018). This UK based band has been flying the flag of heavy metal for 30 years now.
This will be the first album to feature bassist Harry Armstrong as long time bassist Martyn Millard left the band in 2020. The rest of the band has been a constant in the band.
Vocals: Ben Ward
Guitar: Joe Hoare
Bass: Harry Armstrong
Drums: Chris Turner
The album bursts into action with the opening track ‘The Fire At The Centre Of The Earth Is Mine,’ delivering a potent dose of heavy stoner metal. It’s followed by the quasi-punk ‘(Not) Rocket Science,’ reminiscent of a fusion between Motorhead and the Ramones. Overall, the album leans more towards a Motorhead vibe rather than a Sabbath one. “The Fury of a Patient Man” further reinforces the Motorhead influence.
The final track, ‘End of Submission,’ features a slowdown segment in the middle, complete with spoken words and a brief deceleration of the music for approximately 30 seconds, marking the album’s most subdued moment. The CD/Vinyl edition includes an additional track, ‘Eye Of The Minotaur,’ which is another intense rocker.
My favorite track, ‘Cemetery Rats,’ exudes Lemmy’s influence, beginning with a doom-laden intro before launching into what I believe is the fastest track of the work. ‘Ascend The Negative’ is another favorite, featuring crunchy, heavy riffs, while the longest track, ‘False Hope Diet,’ critiques social media surveillance with lyrics like, “The Devil’s in the Details and in your TV set, the devil’s in the small print of the text you never read.” Another standout for me is ‘The Justice Knife,’ with its ’70s vibe and a robust instrumental finale.
If your a Orange Goblin fan or a fan of heavy stoner metal this album should satisfy your appetite.