This suite began with the Toad King EP in 2018, which not only introduced us to the eponymous anuran monarch and his penchant for getting high on smoked goblin flesh, but also established Goblinsmoker as ones to watch on the UK doom scene.
Although Goblinsmoker was only ever supposed to be a studio project helmed by guitarist, vocalist and chief songwriter Adam Kennedy alongside his writing partner Michaek Guthrie on drums, demand for the band as a live project reached the point that they had no choice but to take the project on the road.
The next chapter, 2020’s A Throne In Haze, A World Ablaze, was written in between bouts of gigging and saw the band continue the story and fleshing out the swampy universe. The quality of this release landed the band support slots with the likes of Conan, Venom, and Eyehategod.
Now, the hype for the conclusion of the Toad King trilogy is so real that, at the time of writing, the record is the most pre-ordered release in the history of APF Records.
Photo Credit: Goblinsmoker
Like the previous two installments, which both clocked in at around the 25 minute mark, The King’s Eternal Throne wastes no time in telling its story. The narrative spans across just three admittedly lengthy tracks with the fourth and final track, ‘Toad King (Forest Synth Offering)’ serving as an eerie instrumental denouement. The entire album is over and done with in just over 35 minutes, but thankfully the songs are so dense in terms of ideas and atmosphere that fans are unlikely to feel shortchanged after listening. If anything, the brevity makes you want to hit play again as soon as it finishes to go in for another dose.
Swathes of misty atmospherics and a hail of symbol crashes usher in ‘Shamanic Rites’, the opening track of The King’s Eternal Throne, which is centred around a single, hypnotic doom riff that with each repetition bores its way further into the listener’s skull. Kennedy delivers his incantations in a blackened rasp that sounds like he’s been gargling pure toad venom. Apparently the lyrics tell of a power struggle between a shamen, the Toad King and a tribe of goblins, with the shamen ultimately plotting to kill the king, however it’s difficult to make out given the sheer bile with which they’re delivered. But let’s face it, the narrative arc of this trilogy has always taken a back seat to the gargantuan riffs which are the real star of the show.
“Let's face it, the narrative arc of this trilogy has always taken a back seat to the gargantuan riffs which are the real star of the show. ”
If it’s riffs you’re wanting, ‘Burn Him’ has you covered. There’s yet more trance inducing, glacial doom in the first half of the track before a welcome gear shift ushers in a swinging stoner metal riff to get those goblins groovin’.
Being produced and mixed by Joe Clayton, it’s no surprise that these songs sound absolutely massive. Clayton is a master of striking that perfect balance of ungodly distortion, low end heft and diamond tipped clarity. The bass tone is especially monstrous, and the addition of subtle layers of synths in the background adds to the swampy atmosphere being conjured by the songwriting.
The highlight of the record is undoubtedly the eight-minute long title track, which concludes the Toad King’s story in suitably epic fashion against a backdrop of soaring doom riffs that rollick along with the momentum of a herd of stampeding rhinos.
With the lore of the Toad King being so ingrained into the fabric of Goblinsmoker’s existence as a band it will be interesting to see what the band does next, now that the tale is seemingly brought to its conclusion. But for now there is a damn fine collection of EPs and albums for fans of downtuned, fuzz drenched doom to immerse themselves in.