Review Summary: Debt of Aeons is a slight disappointment but to be fair to this band they did set the bar high with Conduit.
King Goat (Anthony Trimming: vocals, Reza G.: bass, Jon Wingrove: drums, Petros Sklias: guitar, and Joe Parson: guitar) are a five-piece doom metal band from Brighton, England. Formed in 2012 King Goats Debt of Aeons is the second full length release since the highly acclaimed 2016 album, Conduit.
Conduit quickly became one of my favourite albums of that year. It had a dark yet melodic feel, compelling tempo changes coupled with haunting operatic vocals and it was a feat of doom-soaked brilliance. It was progressive, atmospheric, doom metal at its very finest.
Debt of Aeons continues in the same vein as Conduit however it does feel like a slightly watered-down version of its predecessor. It still has the grandeur and the dark enthralling elements that made Conduit such a good listen it’s just a bit sludgier in its pace and does trundle along at times with songs such as Rapture and Psychasthenia. These two tracks really do encapsulate the theme and direction of this album.
With that being said; As a sub-genre of metal, doom metal can be repetitive and minimalistic and if not executed correctly can get dull very quickly. King Goat have however mastered the art of creating exciting hooks within their song writing; For this reason, the songs on this album never become stale or unnecessary even though its pace is slower than we’re accustomed to with this band.
Eremite’s Rest is the standout track on this album. The main guitar riff actually reminds me, dare I say it, of early deftones.
As with Conduit each song successfully takes you through a very deliberate and enthralling journey especially with Anthony Trimmings vocal range and power. The last song on the album On Dusty Avenues is a good example of this. It almost feels as though you are camped around a campfire while he tells this captivating story.
Debt of Aeons is a slight disappointment but to be fair to this band they did set the bar high with Conduit. It doesn’t feel as varied as it should and I can’t decide if it’s due to the song writing itself or the production of this album.
Debt of Aeons is still as accomplished piece of work and I look forward to their next release. I’m also curious as to how their music translates from studio to stage.
