UMUR "A Eulogy for the Damned" is the 7th full-length studio album by UK heavy/stoner metal act Orange Goblin. The album was released through Candlelight Records in February 2012. It´s been 5 years since the release of "Healing Through Fire (2007)" and I was beginning to worry if the band had called it quits. Orange Goblin are one of the longer running and most prolific acts on the UK heavy/stoner metal scene, so that would definitely not have been great news. Thankfully with "A Eulogy for the Damned" they return to show the world that they are still more than alive and ready to rock out.

The music on "A Eulogy for the Damned" is more or less the sound of Orange Goblin as we know them. Hard rocking riffs (and the occasional heavier stoner doom riff section), an energetic and heavy pounding rythm section and of course Ben Ward´s raw and rusty vocals in front. "A Eulogy for the Damned" is a bit different from earlier releases by the band though and especially from it´s raw predecessor, as it features a clear and somewhat polished sound production. Orange Goblin have always skillfully incorporated melody into their heavy and hard rocking music (and even psychadelic moments on their early releases) and continue to do so on "A Eulogy for the Damned". Some of the band´s most accessible and melodic material yet are found on this album. Take a listen to "Stand for Something" and tell me that track hasn´t got mainstream rock "hit" potential. On the other hand you also got powerful rockers like "Red Tide Rising" and "The Filthy & the Few" on the album as well some stoner doomy material like "The Fog".

The band are well playing, the sound production is professional and well sounding (even though I personally would have preferred a more raw and filthy sound) and the songwriting is on a high level too, which put together make "A Eulogy for the Damned" quite a great listen. To be honest the album wasn´t an instant hit with me, but repeated listens have meant it has grown on me considerably and a 3.5 - 4 star (75%) rating is deserved.

Time Signature Acid trial...

Genre: 70s hard rock inspired metal

The British stoners in Orange Goblin have been active since the mid nineties and are one of the bigger act on the British so-called stoner-doom scene.

To be honest, I do not think that "A Eulogy for the Damned" is neither very stoned nor very doom-laden - the tracks are simply to uptempo to be stoner-friendly, and there is too much groove for the music to be able to create a doomsday mood.

That being said, "A Eulogy for the Damned" is not a bad album because it is not. Orange Goblin are in fact extremely good at coming up with groovy riffs, some of which even rival some of Led Zeppelin's and Black Sabbath's groovy riffage. Although I do not think it is a specially stoned album, it's easy to hear that Orange Goblin find inspiration in the hard rock of the 70s, which not only is reflected in the groovy riffs, but also in the underlying drive of many of the tunes on the album, the bluesy lead guitars, and the generally rocked-up atmosphere that permeates the entire record. And, although I do not think that this is a very doom-laden affair, there is a generally dark atmosphere to be felt and some heavy passages, but few of them really reach the slow doom metal tempo.

In any case - whether you think it's stoner-doom or not - "A Eulogy for the Damned" is a very good groovy, '70s rock inspired album (albeit with a very modern sound), which should appeal to fans of sludge metal and 70s hard rock and classic heavy metal.