By Ken Wohlrob & Richard Maw
Album Type: Full Length
Date Released: 15/6/2018
Label: Candlelight Records |
Spinefarm Records
The Wolf Bites Back” is everything that Orange Goblin should be: aggressive, raw, bluesy, ballsy, and still heavy as hell.
“The Wolf Bites Back”CD//DD//LP track listing:
1. Sons of Salem
2. The Wolf Bites Back
3. Renegade
4. Swords of Fire
5. Ghosts of The Primitives
6. In Bocca Al Lupo
7. Suicide Division
8. The Stranger
9. Burn the Ships
10. Zeitgeist
The Review:
Sometimes, later in a band’s career, you can hear them floundering. They’ve either driven their style into the ground or they are trying so many new things that they’ve lost their identity. I won’t name any bands. You’ve heard it and know. Orange Goblin, thankfully, have not lost sight of who they are and what makes them unique. At the risk of taking a direct punch to the jaw from Ben Ward himself, I’m even gonna call “The Wolf Bites Back” an incredible return to form for Orange Goblin. They sound that confident and sure of themselves. Their previous effort, “Back From the Abyss”, felt like it was a little too polished and didn’t capitalize on all the things that make Orange Goblin a force to be reckoned with. Or as Ben Ward put it himself recently:
“There was definitely a concerted effort to make sure all the songs could work in a live environment which gives the album a more raw, stripped-back feel — something that I feel has been lacking from good rock and metal in recent years.”
He couldn’t be more spot-on. Orange Goblin’s sound on “The Wolf Bites Back” is vicious again. Akin to the attack they had on “Thieving From the House of God”, “Coup de Grace”, and “Eulogy for the Damned”. “Sons of Salem,” “Renegade,” and the exceptional “Suicide Squad” will kick you square in the teeth. If you wanted them to be groovy and bluesy, it’s there in "Sons of Salem," “Burn the Ships,” and “Renegade,” a song that would’ve made Lemmy, Philthy, and Eddie sport mile-wide grins. For the most part, each song feels well-honed and dialed, the band sure of exactly what each track should be. (For a full track-by-track run-down by myself and Richard Maw, scroll down).
Give some credit to producer Jaime Gomez Arellano. The production is superb but is not smothered in compression. “Back From the Abyss” felt too slick to my ears. Too modern metal. “The Wolf Bites Back” feels more alive, without sacrificing any of the thickness in their sound. Martyn Millard and Chris Turner have always been one of the best rhythm sections in heavy music. On this album, they sound huge and rightfully so. The bass and drums anchor the songs perfectly, giving guitarist Joe Hoare room to play fast and loose. That’s always suited Hoare better, a gutsy guitar player who is still severely underrated, and Arellano has the guitars sounding crisp and raw. When Hoare really tears into a solo or gets playful with licks mid-riff (something he does better than most other guitarists), he can't be beat. As for Ward himself, he is at his anthemic best on this new batch of tunes. More than most vocalists, Ward has an ability to drive a song with his vocal attack. He really lays into it on "Renegade" and "Ghosts of the Primitives", while still using subtly to great effect on "The Stranger."
The immediate question punters will ask is, "Are they the Orange Goblin of [insert album here]?" (Some will drop in “The Big Black”, others “Eulogy of the Damned”). Interestingly enough, the answer is yes to all of that. Elements of the band's past are all over the album. While there is so much that is familiar, giving die-hard fans something to latch onto, there is still a ton of experimentation. Orange Goblin, who grew past their stoner doom roots years ago, keep pushing their sound in new directions. Take a track like "Swords of Fire," which is unlike anything Orange Goblin has tried before. In the short space of four-plus minutes, the band expertly shifts through dark moods, textures, and time signatures, while still retaining their core attack. Its genius and still pummels like a son of bitch. Full credit to them for honing it down, instead of turning it into a 7-mintue-plus snoozer that loses its energy as the minutes drag on. A great band knows how to edit (whereas too many bands these days don't). Take a track like "The Stranger," that matches "Time Travelling Blues" as one of Orange Goblin's better mellow songs, but still sounds fresh and new for them, especially with its jazzy middle section.
In the end, Orange Goblin sounds reinvigorated and supremely confident. “The Wolf Bites Back” is everything that Orange Goblin should be: aggressive, raw, bluesy, ballsy, and still heavy as hell. It boils all their influences (Sabbath, Motörhead, NOWBHM, '70s Vertigo Records rock, etc.) into a perfectly rendered slab that knocks you in the head. And yet, it sounds effortless. You can't help but be in awe of that.
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| Pic by Paul Harries |
A track-by-track discussion of “The Wolf Bites Back” between Richard Maw (of UK's Iron Void) and Ken Wohlrob (of America's Eternal Black).
1. Sons of Salem
Richard: The album kicks off in strong and rocking style with this one, I thought. Orange Goblinhave never been frightened to tackle historical and horror themes and this combines the two with (colonial) Salem being famous for the witch trials back in the 1690s. Great chorus—a kind of call to arms and I can see this one going over very well live. It kind of picks up where “Red Tide Rising” and “Sabbath Hex” left off from their previous two albums.
Ken: This is exactly what Orange Goblin should be doing. It’s hard-charging, heavy-as-hell, and groovy as a mother. In three minutes it capitalizes on all of Orange Goblin’s strengths. That main riff is catchy as hell but it has a natural groove to it. Martyn and Chris really anchor the whole thing so Joe can step out more. Ben is not Nick Cave. You’ll never accuse him of being overly poetic. But the son of a bitch knows how to write catchy, anthemic lyrics. He brilliantly turns that first line of the first verse into mini-chorus that gets repeated throughout. You’re right: the punters are gonna latch on to that at live gigs. I was chanting it by myself while riding the damn subway.
2. The Wolf Bites Back
Richard: I first saw this phrase on a Grand Magus t-shirt a few years ago. I know the two bands are tight and have toured together, so it may be an homage, or maybe not. Either way, it's a great title and the track features acoustic guitar to start — a nice production trick reminiscent of the Stones in that electric gets layered over the top — and a very strong pre-chorus. For me, one of the best tracks on the record. Ward's vocals are impressively moody and gritty and shows just how far he has come from the earlier albums the band put out.
Ken: I had a hard time with this track. For me, it is one of the weaker songs on the album (albeit that’s giving it short shrift because the album is so damn good). If it were a Grand Magus album, it would be a standout track (which is not a dig, it would fit their style perfectly). But it’s an Orange Goblin album. This one is kind of indicative of some of the problems I felt they encountered on “Back From The Abyss”. Namely, it in no way capitalizes on Orange Goblin’sstrengths. It feels too stiff, too straightforward, and is a little too on the nose for a Euro-metal anthem. With a band like Orange Goblin,their natural groove and bluesiness along with that unbeatable attack is what makes them distinct. I give the guys credit, they’re trying a lot of different things on this album and 99% work amazingly well. But this feels off for them. I agree, the intro with the acoustic guitar is really good, but from the moment the song finally kicks into full gear, it never really builds into anything.
3. Renegade
Richard: A bluesy and hard rocking track which is quite clearly a tribute to everyone's favorite outlaw: Lemmy! Bearing in mind Saxon and Airbourne (and probably loads more) have had a crack at a tribute song, this is a bold move. Goblin put their own stamp on things instead of pure Motörhead worship in the music; I have always considered the band as being a kind of mix of Sabbath and Motörhead and they have always worn their influences on their sleeves. It's a cracking song and the band have captured a high energy performance here. Mr. Kilmister would have approved of both the music and lyrics, as some of them are pretty clever. I love this as Motörheadare one of my favorite bands.
Ken: 100% agree with you on this one. What an absolute barnstormer! On first listen to the album, this was the song that made me go, “Yes, these fuckers nailed it!” It seems like such a simple straightforward British boogie-stomp, but there is a lot more to it. Indeed, you’re spot on with the comparisons to Motörhead and Saxon. “Dead Men Tell No Tales” on steroids. Could almost picture Biff or Lemmy singing it. The way Joe Hoare steps out on this one, it’s everything that makes him an amazing guitar player (and severely underrated). It’s bluesy as hell (in the Billy Gibbons style), it’s got swagger (Joe has always had something akin to Rory Gallagher), and it’s loose and raw (ala Jimmy Page). Chris and Martyn get to be one of the best rhythm sections in the business as they’ve always been. You know this because you’ve seen the guys live many times, but Ben has an uncanny way of driving a song. The attack of his vocals add so much to this track. I’ve listened to it about 25 times now and it still sounds vibrant and tough as nails.
4. Swords of Fire
Richard: Things are a lot moodier here. Dark and downbeat. Once again, I think the band are spreading their wings a little here as they go for a slow burning intro and no vocals at all until well after two minutes in. This is more in line with the doomier end of Goblin's sound and I welcome it.
Ken: This is a great example of Orange Goblin taking a risk and it working magnificently. What style is this? Hard to pin it down as anything. Very unique in its construction and the way the parts all fit together. That intro could have come right off “The Big Black”. And the guitars coming in clean at first, over Martyn’s distorted bass, adds some really cool layering. It builds up anticipation. Then when it finally kicks in it’s a pure headbanger. It feels like classic Orange Goblin. Then the guys completely deconstruct it. An odd time feel, the monstrous heaviness of the verses, and then they jack the tempo way up and go full-bore. There is no simple verse-chorus-verse-chorus structure, yet somehow it’s still anthemic.
5. Ghosts of The Primitives
Richard: A much lighter track to start and one that has a lot more subtlety than Goblin have ever been credited with. As usual, Joe Hoare is the man of the match; lovely fluid riffing and lead work. The rest of the band drop in a smooth time change and Big Ben trades vocal lines with himself (and utilizes double tracking a la Lemmy) for depth. I love the fade out/fade in as well!
Ken: On first listen, I went, “Holy shit, it’s ‘Hard Luck’, Part II!’”. This was another one that felt like a touchstone for the band’s overall approach. It’s more sophisticated as their music has been over the past couple of albums, but it’s still raw and gritty. Once that main riff kicks in, you’re sold. Ben’s choruses and that bridge instantly win you over (“Dawning of the ages, dumbing of the senses, challenging existence, softening defenses!”). And the funky breakdown is really cool. In some ways, I feel like this is Martyn and Chris’s album. They stand out superbly on each track.
6. In Bocca Al Lupo
Ken: A cool little interlude that harkens to their NWOBHM influences. It's mostly Joe Hoare's show, bluesy and atmospheric. And it’s a wonderful setup for what comes next...
7. Suicide Division
Ken: I've been waiting for them go back to some of the punkier elements they brought in on “Coup De Grace” and this nails it perfectly. Two minutes of over-the-top aggression. And it still grooves like a motherfucker. Such power. Nobody can attack like these guys do. If you don't like this, you're a fool.
Richard: Yes! The “Coup De Grace” comparison is the first thing I thought of when I heard this. Punk aggression is one of Orange Goblin's stronger suits to play when they are in the mood. This really blasts off the second half of the record.
8. The Stranger
Ken: This one snuck up on me. It's become one of my favorite tracks on the album (for my money, this should've been the title track). Ben's delivery on the verses is perfect. He's mixing it up a lot on this album. He has an innate sense as to when to lay back in order to give a song more impact. I think this one is up there with "Time Travelling Blues" in terms of how Orange Goblin can cleverly get away with a ballady-type of song, without making it cheesy or cliched. It's a nice surprise when they quickly shift gears into a more progressive, jazzy rhythm. The moment Joe Hoare's guitar launches in it goes up a notch. At that point, I think the layering of the tracks is spot on. And then they break it right back down, absolutely beautiful. Chris keeps it swinging. Those wonderful swells of the organ at the end (reminded me of how much Per Wiberg adds to Spiritual Beggars). Perfect in every way.
Richard: Yep, great track; moody like “Beginner's Guide To Suicide” and this is a very nice change of pace to give variety to sound and mood on the record. The tempo change for the middle section of the song works really well and the track does have an epic feel to it.
9. Burn the Ships
Ken: For everyone who really wished Orange Goblin would write more songs like “The Big Black” era, dig on that opening riff. How heavy and groovy can you get? And yet, the verses have a really clever construction. They tried similar things on “Back From the Abyss”, but here it works much better when matched against that heavy groove of the main riff and the breakdown in the middle. It's still very anthemic and grounded in classic British Heavy Metal (as they have been over the last few albums), but then anchored by that classic groovy doom.
10. Zeitgeist
Ken: I was kind of torn on this one. The first half didn't grab me. But I dug the instrumental back-half (which includes a guest appearance by Motörhead'sPhil Campbell). It almost made me wish they just did it as a pure instrumental, which would have made for an interesting ending to the album. Orange Goblin has an amazing track record of closing epics: "The Big Black," "Stinkin' of Gin," "Beginner's Guide to Suicide" (my favorite of the lot), and "A Eulogy for the Damned." Those are all fantastic closing statements for each of their respective albums (and again a nod to their NOWBHM roots, especially Iron Maiden who always tagged an epic on the end). So I give them credit for switching it up with something shorter. For some reason, "Zeitgeist" made me think of Van Halen's "One Foot Out the Door." It didn't feel like a complete song. More like a jam to close out the album. And after the brilliance of "The Stranger," this one feels the weaker of the two.
Richard: It makes for a strange and inconclusive end. I don't think they have ever topped “Crown of Locusts” as a closing statement and “Zeitgeist” does not alter that at all. You talked about the band playing to their strengths—I think this is perhaps and example of them not doing so. The second half is the much cooler piece of music, I concur. It shows the band expanding their range and the solos are great but the track on the whole just isn't up there with their best. I'm splitting hairs here, though, as this album is as strong as anything they have done over the years.
“The Wolf Bites Back” is available here
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