They didn’t start up until a couple years after I left town, but I’ve always followed Calgary stoner rock veterans Chron Goblin from afar. Now in their 10th year as a band, they’re issuing album number four next months on Grand Hand Records.
I’ve always considered these guys to be Calgary’s closest thing to Kyuss, and the mellow desert grooves of opening track “Oblivion” don’t disappoint – although this one is a little more proggy than Homme, Garcia and company, or even the band’s previous work. The opening riff to “Give in to Fun” is a slice of pure stoner rock bliss, and the tune is accentuated by a Garcia-style, upper-register vocal as it rolls along. Eighth track “Slipping Under” is perhaps the best piece of Kyuss worship on here – if you heard it on a podcast, you’d probably think the new John Garcia track sounds pretty sweet.
“Out of My Mind” combines a rollicking, fuzzy riff with a stoned, nasally vocal, culminating in a crashing chorus. On the other hand, “Ghost” is a meandering, mellow six-minute number, much more akin to Dead Meadow, but with perhaps a bit more bite. A string of one-word song titles follows, with the jaunty, jagged romp of “War,” which reminds of The Shrine, ahead of the super-laid-back “Giant,” a more melodic take on Fu Manchu. This has all the makings of a pretty solid stoner rock record.
https://chrongoblin.bandcamp.com/album/here-before
(Grand Hand Records)
