Doom metal isn’t a genre that can be fairly monotonous, however when it’s done right, it can be downright great. King Goat are a band that have a sound that is in the traditional doom camp, but at the same time bring in some progressive elements to give their sound that edge that it needs to stand out. Their most recent album, “Debt of Aeons”, is a great showing from the band, and one that should, in theory, put them on the map. “Rapture” is the opening song on the album, and has a slow, very doomy intro, which is expected from this type of band. This song takes its time, and uses the writing ability of the band to carry it. The production is solid as well, and compliments the music. Up next is “Eremite’s Rest”, which opens up with a nice riff, and introduces a slightly darker tone to the music. The mix of clean and harsh vocals on here is nice as well, and the solo and lead guitar are really standout.
The title track, “Debt of Aeons”, is a song that is broken into two halves, with the first starting slow, and beginning to pick up. The second half becomes very riff driven, and keeps this song varied. “Psychasthenia” is next, and is a softer, and shorter instrumental. The band allows for melody to shine on this track, which simultaneously acts as a break, but also another unique song. This leads into “Doldrum Sentinels” is next, and has a nice riff to start it off. The writing on here continues to be tight, and the band chooses to speed up the pace a bit to change things up. “-“ is a sort of interlude of a soundbite that plays before the final track. “On Dusty Avenues” is the final song on the album, and the longest at about 10 minutes. This song really slows things down, and gives the ultimate doom metal experience that this album can. This song is also where some of the prog influence shows. The writing is definitely solid, and as a final track, this song does its job. This is a good album. I’m not too big on doom, so take my opinion as you will, but I really enjoyed this. At times, especially in the first half, the songs can feel like they run together a bit, but other than that, this is a very good album, and one to check out.
Overall Score: 8.0/10
Review by Sam Hookom
