Album Review: Orange Goblin – Science, Not Fiction (Peaceville Records)

A band that needs little introduction, Orange Goblin, the legendary UK stoner rock and metal band is back with a brand-new album, and first under the Peaceville Records banner, called ‘Science, Not Fiction’. An exploration (and exploitation) of the world as seen through the three fundamental factors; Science, Spirituality, & Religion and how they determine and affect the human condition. It will be released on July 19th, 2024.

Who doesn’t love a bit of Orange Goblin, and chances are, even if you’ve not purposefully sought out their music, you’ve heard many a track and likely head banged to them as well.

Something that is once again assured as this new album comes with many-a-reason to groove and move to. Worship the riff, Orange Goblin certainly do, and across nine (ten if you include the bonus track) they deliver a thunderous blast of stoner-infused hard rock and metal to warm the soul.

Expect Orange Goblin goodness and little else, and you won’t come away disappointed. It’s not about being innovative, it’s about having a good time, and this album guarantees that with the added caveat that it is saying something, and lyrically, has plenty of thought-provoking messages.

It doesn’t take long for the catchy groove of The Fire At The Centre Of The Earth Is Mine to take hold. Orange Goblin bringing the riffs, smashing out a great chorus, and throwing in a short, but killer sounding guitar solo too, setting the bar high early on. (Not) Rocket Science isn’t far behind that one though, especially as Ben Ward’s vocals are sounding delightfully gruff here and he nails the delivery. Then along comes Ascend the Negative with its salacious sounding riffs to take things to an even more body shaking place. The latter part of this track, when it slows down and we get a chorus of voices, is fantastic. Orange Goblin proving with the first three tracks that they are still at the height of their powers nearly 30-years into their career.

It’s that affection that allows Orange Goblin to experiment a little here, and with False Hope Diet, that is exactly what they do. Alas, the end result is bit muddled, and it’s hard to fully understand what the goal was here. The track is all over the place, and while the individual elements – guitars, drums, vocals – sound great, and occasionally they come together well, the overall structure of the track is perplexing.

Clear your mind though, because along comes Cemetery Rats and its introductory gothic keys to make you feel like you’re listening to a completely different band. Hold on though, because this is a more creative side of Orange Goblin and as the guitars and drums enter the fray, things get more psychedelic. Leading to an energy uptick that gets the heart racing and head banging nicely.

It’s then back to a more ‘traditional’ Orange Goblin banger with The Fury of A Patient Man as big riffs, plenty of groovy hooks, and bundles of punk-infused vitality comes along. Before continuing to deliver plenty of enjoyable Orange Goblin goodness with Gemini (Twins of Evil) and The Justice Knife. Strong right to the very end, especially when you consider the variety in song composition as things come to a close. It’s all very much Orange Goblin, End of Transmission included, but don’t ever accuse this band of standing still.

Orange Goblin – Science, Not Fiction Track Listing:

1. The Fire At The Centre Of The Earth Is Mine
2. (Not) Rocket Science
3. Ascend The Negative
4. False Hope Diet
5. Cemetary Rats
6. The Fury Of A Patient Man
7. Gemini (Twins Of Evil)
8. The Justice Knife
9. End Of Transmission
10. Eye Of The Minotaur (Bonus Track)

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