Search - Goatsnake :: Goatsnake 1/Dog Days

First Classic From Stoner Rock's Most Overlooked Band

Tom Chase | London | 05/02/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is a Southern Lord re-release of Goatsnake's previously out of print LP "I" and EP "Dog Days" onto one disc. This is essential listening for fans of 70s styled rock and modern day stoner/doom rock.



To put the band in some context - Goatsnake spawned some big names in the stoner/doom rock genre, namely the mighty guitarist Greg Anderson, the unique bluesy vocalist Pete Stahl, and the rumbling fuzz of Guy Pinhas. All of these members have other commitments nowadays, most notably Anderson with Sunn O))) and Pinhas with Acid King, but Goatsnake was where it all started.



Goatsnake are one of the few bands in this genre with a bold sense of originality, and therefore stand above the masses. This is due to a few fundamental aspects. Firstly, the guitar work of Anderson and Pinhas - these guys create a very unique sound, partly due to a mystery tuning that has never been revealed, and partly due to their rather different take on the classic stoner guitar riff. They create many riffs with a very bluesy feel, emphasised by Stahl's vocals, but simultaneously retaining an extremely heavy classic doom vibe. The almighty lead riff of album highlight "What Love Remains" is a typical example, combining huge punishing walls of guitar tone, recalling the most killer riffs of Sabbath or St. Vitus, but using a very bluesy range of notes that sounds more like Kyuss or Sleep, which is reflected by Stahl's call and response vocals.



It's not just the riffs that make Goatsnake special. They have an excellent understanding of composition - something that many stoner/doom bands seem to sacrifice for finding that one killer riff. Many of the songs weave in and out of sections, combining heavy riff-fuelled onslaughts, swaggering bluesy moments and even some piano/violin additions. Examples of this include "Mower" which starts off in classy doom style before sliding into a verse/chorus repetition, showcasing some quirky off-beat rhythms and some good old-school galloping drive. This section reminds me very much of Led Zeppelin when they chop-change bluesy riffs and tempos (and of course Stahl's somewhat high pitched vocals give that Plant edge). This all slows back down again, and reverts back to the crawling pace of the opening, with some menacing Stahl vocals and huge Anderson chords.



Similarly "Lord of Los Feliz" uses contrasting sections, and can be basically split into two main sections - an elongated intro and a closing section. The closing section is perhaps the highlight of the album, with some absolutely sublime vocals from Stahl. His vocal harmonies here are both beautiful and unhinging at the same time, and make for a grand climax. And talking of climaxes, the album's closer "Trower" is something of a weird song, beginning with some rather generic stoner rock riffing (for the first time on the album), but then kicking into some truly inspired writing with a great jam section and violin/female vocal section, which is patiently faded out to reveal a huge punishing final riff.



"Dog Days" is not as consistent, despite having less tracks. The highlights include the opening track "The Orphan" which uses dynamics to great use, mixing big doom riffs with some eerie hypnotic vocals, and the absolutely gigantic cover of Sabbath's "Whoe Are You?". This is probably the best Sabbath cover I have ever heard, as the band doesn't fall into the trap of simply re-hashing the song with their own sound, a mistake too many bands make. Instead they have retained the main theme and melody, but have transitioned it into a huge wall of guitar drone and some echoing trippy vocals from Stahl. This song makes "Dog Days" a worthy buy by itself, and is up there with my favourite Goatsnake songs.



I cannot recommend this album enough to fans of stoner or doom rock. If you are unsure on these genres, then think of this as Zeppelin and Sabbath's quirky child, combining the blues and vocals of Zep and the downright mean riffing of Sabbath.





"

...ahh...the bliss of riffs...

OMNIGOSS | UK | 06/10/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"...when I was younger and had never heard of the band "Black Sabbath" and had people randomly worshipping them...I heard the description "Big juicy riffs" and got me interested enough to listen...what I heard was adequete...but (at the risk of enraging Sabbath fans) it didn't satisfy my hunger...for some reason...I couldn't feel the power from it that most people from that generation possibly would...



...when I heard this I thought to myself "This was the imaginary Sabbath I was looking for" the riffs are strong, distorted, slow and full of twists and turns...true maybe they wouldn't have existed without Sabbath's help but for songs like "Knucklebuster" with the thick intro riff I'm willing to overlook this...



...Stoner Metal for those who want something slow and heavy...maybe besides that it is nothing new...but with amazingly slow distorted riffs...it's worth the bliss...and seeing as what lead after this was the even slower Sunn O)))...what more do you need to know?



P.S Vocals annoy me ever so slightly...but I ignore them..."

My fav stoner/doom/down-tempo album!

Ørjan Olsen | Trondheim, Norway | 11/28/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"What can I say..? This is actually a perfect release, every song on here is great, they combine down-tempo sludgy songs with up-tempo stoner grooves, and a mouthharp... goddamn this is great.. This is one of the gems in my collection, and I have ALOT of albums..



It is worth it.. Get it! in fact get two, one for your house, and one for your car!"