Search - Orange Goblin :: Big Black

Orange Goblin At Full Flight

Tom Chase | London | 06/23/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"While "The Big Black" hardly re-invents the wheel in the realm of stoner rock, it is a sophisticated and undoubtedly fun blast, and has rightly become one of the most revered albums in the genre in recent years. It is something of a transition album for the band, echoing the spacey soundscapes of their early works, and moving towards the no-nonsense, more "metal" approach of later and more recent works (this year's release "Healing Through Fire" is a perfect example of this sound). For me, this makes it the most interesting and multi-faceted of their albums.



Of course all good stoner rock bands can execute big Sabbathian riffs, and Orange Goblin give perfect example to this, but what separates the best of the genre from the run-of-the-mill is song writing. Orange Goblin has an excellent understanding of composition and how to manipulate dynamics, shown instantly by the fine opener "Scorpionica". The song showcases the band's ability to create adrenaline-pumping gallops full of booming riffs, slick wah-pedal guitar solos and roaring John Garcia-esque vocals. It also slips into a grooving quieter middle section, slowing the tempo down and acting as a perfect contrast to the thick fuzzy heavy sections. Only the best of the stoner rock genre implement such refined writing. This approach is executed numerous times throughout, creating epic anthems such as "Hot Magic Red Planet", "King of Hornets" and the doom-laden groove of the title track, which instantly reminds me of heyday Electric Wizard.



Special mention has to go to the song "Cozmo Bozo" - for all massive Kyuss fans out there...this is about as good as it gets. This song sounds remarkably like a lost track from "Welcome To Sky Valley", fusing those sumptuous grooves, thick tones, raspy vocals and space-rock effects. The song completely blew me away upon first listen, and remains one of my favourite stoner rock/space rock anthems.



"The Big Black" can also boast the rare feat of having no filler, and therefore runs very smoothly from start to finish. Songs such as "Quincy The Pigboy" and "Turbo Effalunt" act as perfect injections of pace and flurry through no-nonsense onslaughts reminiscent of Unida's "Coping With The Urban Coyote" approach. These more aggressive and riff-fuelled songs are boosted by the production of the album, which puts great emphasis on the fuzzy guitar tones (a necessary thing for any band of this ilk) and the huge booming vocals. This is made without disregarding the drums completely, an easy and irritating mistake made by lesser contemporaries, as they are balanced just behind the guitars to keep groove and timing tight.



For fans of the stoner rock genre this is a must-have. It shines out as a trip back to the glory days of Sabbath and Kyuss. Vastly superior to the genre's fields of mediocre bands, Orange Goblin forge power and atmosphere with class.

"

Solid Album

orangegoblin81 | S.Cali | 08/10/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"A very good album by any means, but compaired to their prior work, it's not quite as good. This album has less solo's, however they are replaced with some very cool wha effects on some tracks, defantaly worth a purchace"

...as in "Sabbath," that is

Aaron Burgess | Round Rock, TX, USA | 08/09/2006

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Where their labelmates Sheavy and Electric Wizard are Black Sabbath with fewer memorable riffs, England's Orange Goblin are Black Sabbath with wah-wah pedals and an expanded psychedelic range. Thrust into majestic 3D sound by producer Billy Anderson (Sleep, Neurosis), "The Big Black" finds Orange Goblin ripping through 10 tracks of outer-space boogie metal, the quartet's always-obvious influence gauge registering everything from Sabbath to Rainbow to Iron Butterfly. Tracks such as "Cozmo Bozo" and "King of the Hornets" could've benefited from tighter editing, as their extended-dope-jam nature upsets the album's riff-to-song ratio. But in "The Big Black"'s more concise tracks, Orange Goblin embody stoner metal at its most gloriously dumb: Their riffs are white-hot, their grooves are gigantic, and their spaceman fantasies are several atmospheric layers over the top."