Escaping the dark shadows of reality to get lost in music and create something powerful with childhood friends is exactly how Goat Major coped with the 2020 pandemic. Having grown up near each other in Wales resulting in a longtime friendship, this trio decided to pull their talents and love of doom to create a 2023 EP and now a debut full-length, Ritual. Describing their style as “occult doom metal” this release combines stoner metal, classic doom, and some heavy rock with lyrics and themes focusing on the occult. There is a rawness to it giving Ritual the feel of a live performance. It is a solid debut making Goat Major a band to keep an Evil Eye on.
The album opens without any hesitation, diving right into a drum punctuated down-tuned riff and continues into a groove-laden, reverberating melody allowing listeners to vibe for a minute and a half before introducing hazy vocals. The production has an overall “retro” feel to it giving Satanic Panic 80’s allure and power. The title-track comes next and it is clear how much fun the band is having playing this piece. There is an obvious passion felt here and listeners cannot help but dance right along with the infectious melody and hyped vocals. “Turn to Dust” may be my favorite song on the album with changing tempos and styles creating something unique. There are keyboards sounding like pipe organs adding eerie tones and a faster paced section with impressive drumming. Both of these tracks make me want to get up and dance and I don’t know, maybe sacrifice some goats (just kidding…).
“Mountains of Madness” is Ritual’s longest piece spanning just over eight minutes. It is mostly instrumental with vocals being introduced about halfway through. Showcasing their talents as instrumentalists and being able to just jam and keep it interesting, it is clear this trio is in sync and skilled at creating compositional flow. This track ends with some maniacal laughter before a solemn opening to the next song. The album closes with a very dreamy, hazy melody with acoustic guitar, drawn out tones, and far-away vocals ending very peacefully and beautifully as it fades into silence.
Each track fits together well, blending seamlessly together creating a cohesive album. Goat Major has certainly mastered their style and Ritual is a very well crafted sludge album. I hope to see more influences and styles creep into future releases, but there is certainly nothing wrong with this debut. Every minute of each listen is enjoyable and it is a very fun album. The power of a trio is always impressive and Goat Major is no exception. The vastness of their sound is captivating and they create an energy that is palpable. I look forward to more music from them in the future and am excited to see what they create next.
-Angela
Ritual is available now on Ripple Music. For more information on Goat Major visit their Facebook Page.
Nine Circles 