Whatever Keeps the Lights On

Goblin Hovel has been around for a while now but is still mostly unknown. These guys are quite busy, though, having released 8 full-length albums and a bunch of EPs and singles in 12 years of existence. It turns out most of these releases consist of a blend of Neofolk with Americana and both harsh and clean vocals. I was quite surprised to find out that their latest release consisted of reimagined works of older songs to form an actual metal album. Do we have another folk metal dud on our hands here, or is this a hidden gem waiting to be discovered?

The album kicks off strong, but the strange blend of death/doom metal with Americana takes some time to get used to. It’s clear from the start of Pareidolia that this is not your typical folk metal album. The vocals stand out immediately. They can switch from brutal, guttural grunts and high-pitched screeches to very decent clean outbursts, sung with a lot of passion. The lyrics are interesting and quite poetic in parts, but simply silly in others. The down-tuned guitars and bass riffs are mostly pretty straightforward and sometimes even predictable, but they fit well as a whole. When The Menace first introduces a banjo break, very early in the song, I can’t help but crack a smile. This unexpected element makes the music feel much more unique than a lot of other folk metal bands nowadays. This is not your typical humppa / Celtic / medieval metal band. It’s also clear these guys don’t take themselves too seriously; From strange sound effects to silly voices and unidentifiable instruments, this album has it all.

We carry on with The Red Ones Go Faster, which has a rock ‘n’ roll feel to it, fitting well with the banjo. We get a guitar solo in most of the songs on this album. None of these are truly outstanding, but they get the job done. Things slow down with Diary of a Teapot, giving a necessary break to process what you’ve just experienced. The emphasis is placed on the vocals once again, and it becomes clear this is a great performance on the vocalist’s part. But there’s no time to waste, because (How to) Start a Witch Hunt picks the speed up again. There are some progressive elements found in this song, which is written in a combination of (odd) time signatures, to keep the listener engaged.

Just when you think you’re getting comfortable with the sound of this band, they throw The Comedy of Forms at you. This one goes from extreme death metal to pure Americana (infused with grunts), to doom and back. Goblin Hovel executes these quick changes very well and for some reason, it seems like the weirder the songs get, the better they become. The vocals are very wacky in this one and there are definite flaws to be found, but it somehow still fits with the overall theme they are going for. This song slows down at the end again, giving the listener room to focus on the lyrics more than in most parts of their music. Glass Sparrows follows the same formula before it changes things up and ends with a very upbeat, solo-filled close. I’m enjoying this more than I’d expected at this point!

With Horrors of the Library, Goblin Hovel takes the time to throw in some desperately needed emotion on the album’s 40-minute playtime. But by now you could have guessed this will not last for long. More blast beats, grunts, heavy riffs, banjo breaks, and time signature changes make this one of the highlights of the album. The Recluse seems like a great way to close things off, as it features most of the elements we’ve heard so far. Even though this one is a lot slower than most other songs, it sticks out for featuring emotional, clean vocals, with an emphasis on the lyrics, once again.

This album took me by surprise. Based on the band name and album cover, I fully expected another typical folk metal clone. One of those releases we’ve heard hundreds of times before in this genre. Luckily, Goblin Hovel proved me wrong with this fun, eccentric but qualitative album. That being said, this album is not perfect: some performances are quite sloppy, the production quality is not of the highest standard and the weird vocals sometimes miss the mark. But all of this can be forgiven in this independent release, and it shows a lot of potential for the future for this band. Time to delve into their backlog!

Highlights: Horrors of the Library, The Comedy of Forms, Pareidolia, The Menace