“A concept album from a concept band”…

I’m all for the occasional concept album but concept bands tend to freak me out a bit (think Okilly Dokilly…); there’s something overly obsessive about a band who only write songs around one specific idea or genre – and yet that’s what The Great Old Ones (TGOO) have been doing for moons, and if people dig it, who am I to complain? In essence, they are deeply immersed in the Lovecraftian/Cthulu mythos and are committed to putting a soundtrack to this particular strain of literature – but then again, that’s crazy French cats, for ya… The band’s new album outlines main character Randolph Carter’s adventures as he seeks the mythical and mystical castle Kadath (Duh! Hence the album title, nob-head), atop a vast mountain. TGOO has five members and they’re all bloody competent musicians.

They don’t fuck about either. Opener Me, the Dreamer kicks off immediately with drums, guitars and hoarse vocals leading a charge. It’s not ‘traditional’ black metal (think scratchy production et  cetera) but instead is beautifully produced, with a delicate warmth to the overall sound. You can thank Francis Caste for that, who produced, mixed, and mastered the whole affair. Benjamin Guerry, who does double duty on vocals and guitar, writes gorgeous lyrics but given they’re delivered in a black metal style, you may have some difficulty deciphering them. There’s a slow, mad mid-section that is distinctly not black metal but it somehow works – I offer a slow nod of acknowledgement and appreciation to Julian Deana’s drums and the guitar work of Guerry and Alexandre Rouleau – it’s not quite melodic death metal but it is delightfully composed, and at close to eleven minutes, it’s a hell of a start.

Those From Ulthar starts with some chilled out acoustic guitar before swiftly building into a lunatic beast; I’d like to see this album done live and in the flesh because it just feels like something you’d like to chuck yourself about to under the lights and dry ice. This track clocks in at just over nine minutes but you wouldn’t know it. Two tracks in and I’m really getting into it – You think you know where the tracks are going and boom! TGOO throw in a mad riff or divergent bridge and you’re left confused and wanting more (a bit like me after dinner at the nursing home). In the Mouth of Madness comes in and stands facing the wall, just to perplex and unnerve you, tremolo picking itself into oblivion and ecstasy. The composition of the tracks is truly a thing of (unearthly) beauty and the intro to Under the Sign of Koth is especially engrossing – this track dares you not to thrash about – it’s gigantic and blots out the sun like the shadow of the winged goat who’s name we dare not utter. Every track on here is a banger of epic length (ooer, missus) and I was delightfully surprised with this album – consider me a convert of TGOO and Shub-Niggurath!

Kadath is out now.