KING GOAT
You don’t want to share a stage with these gloom-mongers, trust us
SOUNDS LIKE: lengthy, gritty gloom with the darkest of operatic melodies
FOR FANS OF: Candlemass, Black Sabbath, Mastodon
LISTEN TO: Doldrum Sentinels
Back in february, doom metal legends Paradise lost toured the UK. With a canon of 15 studio albums and an array of fan-favourite anthems, the Yorkshire titans are always hugely difficult to outdo in a live setting.
however, their opening band, King Goat, pulled it off. Shrouded in Sith-like hoods, ambient lighting and swirling incense, the Brighton quintet dominated the stage with grand, ominous melodies and pummelling musicianship.
“The band have been going for about six years, but it’s only the last couple of years that we’ve started to think about the visuals,” says lead guitarist Petros. “We want to be mysterious, but without being too quirky or being anonymous. It’s just more for the visual perspective. It blends everything together.”
Beyond their attention-demanding performances, their enigmatic and cinematic aura is carried with them off-stage, too, as they intentionally keep the meanings behind their lyrics and band name unknown.
“It’s not just being mysterious for the sake of being mysterious; it gives a bit more freedom of interpretation,” Petros explains. “I know definitely that Trim [vocals] likes his lyrics to give the audience creative freedom, like when you’re reading a book and you can think whatever you want out of the imagery. our mystery comes more out of feeding creativity rather than going, ‘ooh, look at that! Isn’t it creepy and mysterious?’”
King Goat’s charismatic ambiguity is front and centre in their new, sophomore album, Debt Of Aeons. The seven epic suites blend Black Sabbath-like pacing with polyrhythmic unpredictability and the muscular melodies of NWoBhM.
“We call it progressive doom metal,” says Petros. “Progressive because of the long songs, but also in the old-school way, like Pink Floyd and King Crimson. It’s highly technical. on the other hand, we’re doom because there’s nothing particularly high tempo. Some elements are quite theatrical and very dramatic.”
King Goat are ready to dominate the doom metal subsect, with tracks that are both adventurous and primal, and a riveting live show to match. however, the five-piece refuse to become complacent and are still eyeing up ways to continue their expansive evolution.
“We want to be an audio/visual experience,” states Petros. “We want to work more with lighting. We might have a few more props. We want to create a theatrical vibe, to immerse the viewers.” Wherever they go from here, King Goat will be stealing the show for a long while yet. Join their cult.
DEBT OF AEONS IS OUT NOW VIA AURAL
“WE GIVE THE AUDIENCE CREATIVE FREEDOM!”