The UK’s premier sludgsters Orange Goblin are reissuing their 2007 album Healing Through Fire this month. Here’s what Classic Rock made of it…
Bit of a random reissue, no?
Not really. The past two years have been life-changing for Orange Goblin: following the success of their most recent album, 2012’s A Eulogy For The Damned, the beardy London lads finally ditched the day jobs and took the band full-time after nearly 20 years together. With the ‘Goblin getting ready to fire out album number eight this October and having just announced a European tour with doom lords Saint Vitus, the timing is perfect to revisit their past work. Not that they’ve gone back very far; _Healing… _is only from 2007.
So what makes this album special, then?
What, aside from the fact that it’s Orange fuckin’ Goblin!? While A Eulogy…takes their trademark doomy stoner jams and gives them a more polished edge and commercial sheen, Healing… is more rough ‘n’ ready. Epic opener The Ballad Of Soloman Eagle is hardly a ballad, more a catchy slab of bluesy sludge whose riffs beg for headbanging. Vagrant Stump is fast-paced with a punk soul, while live favourite They Come Back sounds as raucous as ever.
Overall, it’s the ‘Goblin at their best – raw, heavy and rollicking.
Sounds good to us! Any cool extras included?
Err… not really. The reissue includes two extra live tracks, The Ballad Of Solomon Eagle and They Come Back, recorded at BBC’s Maida Vale studio in London for the Radio One Rock Show in August 2007. You can also get the reissue in coloured vinyl. But that’s it for additional extras, which hinders the impact of the reissue: it could have done with some more extras to make it more special and collectible for those who own the original already. Nonetheless, it’s a powerful reminder of the many shades of Orange Goblin.
