Goatess: Goatess

Finnish doomlord shifts course for stoner rock nirvana

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The instant buzz surrounding this Swedish quartet wasn’t simply due to the presence of Lord Vicar vocalist Christian ‘Chritus’ Linderson. Although Chritus has a distinguished history in doom metal, the sheer quality of his new side-project speaks for itself.

This debut departs from the trad doom of Lord Vicar and heads down a dusty desert road into stoner territory. This is, however, no lightweight offering and the gibberish spouted by so many stoner outfits is absent.

Familiar Sabbath influences aside, the dreamy, droning atmospheres of Kyuss are a key reference point for the warm, fuzzy wall of sound drifting in several directions at once. From the laidback groove of Know Your Animal to the plodding vastness of Ripe, and elephantine epic Tentacles Of Zen, it’s a moody, hypnotic and lead-heavy trip through timeless rock.