Goblinsmoker was started as a one-man project in Durham in late 2016. The aim, to take the bleak atmosphere of black metal and combine it with the fuzz-soaked riff worship of doom, while creating a mythology that would be fully entwined in the band’s sound, lyrical content and art.
The band focuses on telling the story of The Toad King, the discontented ruler of the goblins. Their forest home is a place where goblin subjects willingly sacrifice themselves to be smoked by their King. This is a story that is being told over a trilogy of releases.
With the concept born and the majority of the first instalment written, the band expanded into a two man show, bringing a drummer into the mix ready for the studio. At this point the band were of the understanding this was very much a labour of love, something that wouldn’t be taken live or wouldn’t be far reaching.
Having contacted Sludgelord Records a year prior with only the idea of the concept to offer, the band returned to the label with the finished first instalment, Toad King. Sludgelord Records agreed to release Toad King in late 2018. The cassette sold out in a matter of days off the back of a twenty second long clip of music, becoming the labels first sold out release. Due to popular demand a second run was made, this selling out quicker than the first run.
The reception and response had been beyond anything that could have been expected. As a result, the band were offered several shows throughout the U.K. and decided to take the toad on the road. The band brought in a bass player and set about transferring the atmosphere from the record to the stage and establishing their live credentials.
The following year while playing several shows around the U.K., the band set out writing the next part of the trilogy. A Throne in Haze, A World Ablaze sees the Toad King and his army of goblins ride to war against his own kind, manipulated by the goblin shaman. Entering the studio in late 2019, the record was recorded and Goblinsmoker closed out the year playing Fall of Man festival in Munich, Germany.
2020 sees Goblinsmoker team up again with Sludgelord Records for the release of A Throne in Haze, A World Ablaze. The Toad King – worship him.
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