Orange Goblin have now signed to the big indie label Sanctuary for this their fifth studio album. They have been building a growing following here in the UK particularly after relentless gigging up and down the country.

Sound wise they take the riffs of Sabbath and add this to straight for your throat metal tunes. 'The Ballad of Solomon Eagle' and 'The Ale House Braves' are no nonsense headbanging tunes.

It is only towards the end of the album that the band start to spread their musical wings with an acoustic instrumental 'Mortlake (Dead Winter)' and the album closer, 'Beginners Guide To Suicide' which starts off like Led Zep and then ends up in a frenzy of guitar soloing with a nod to 70's bands like the Groundhogs.

This band play to their strengths and are streets ahead of similar bands like Viking Skull or 3 Inches Of Blood as they have the songs and some mean guitar solos. Hopefully the band can now get heard by a much wider audience with the backing of a bigger label.

****

Review by Jason Ritchie

The Ale House Braves
© 2007 Sanctuary Records Group Ltd. All rights reserved.