Goat Bong - Goat Worship and Sodomy

Goat Bong is the work of one man, Dirty Mike Alcala of San Antonio, Texas.  The songs here are instrumental pieces built in layers of key instruments atop Sabbath-like riffs, replete with spoken word (usually slowed or distorted) samples, one from Bill Hicks.  There's even a rare (death metal growl) vocal performance in "Romancing the Drone" that is mixed low and distant so as not to be distracting.

The riffs that the songs are built around are great, even monumental, but the keyboard and synth that rides over them at times can be challenging, pushing the boundaries of what I'm expecting to hear.  Occasionally those boundaries are pushes to the limit and I can go no further ("Tripping the Riff"), or just close enough that I can meet the song halfway ("Cannabis Sativa Luciferi").  That said, this album is not without its highlights.

"Baptized in Bong Water" is currently making the rounds in my world right now as a 'single'.  It's a weird one because at a certain point the drums seem to fall out of tempo, as though the drum sample was cut off just a half beat too soon at the end, but if you listen closely the guitar sticks with it and stays at the same tempo.  "Crack Rock n Roll" and "The Lost Art of Bong Rips" are also stand out tracks, the latter being the most straight forward metal song with the keys being replaced by guitar solo.  Also, if that song has taught me anything it's that farts are still funny.

Reminds me of: Blizaro, Bloody Hammers, Abysmal Grief, Black Sabbath, Dopethrone

My Rating: 3.5/5

Genre: Doom, Stoner, Drone, Psychedelic, Instrumental



Tracklist:
1). Baptized in Bong Water (4:18)
2). Tripping the Riff (3:07)
3). Cannabis Sativa Luciferi (6:11)
4). Romancing the Drone (6:58)
5). Crack Rock n Roll (5:07)
6). The Lost Art of Bong Rips (2:42)
Total run time: 28:20

Release Date: October 31, 2012

Suggested listening activity for fellow non-stoners: Digging a grave / illegally dumping barrels of toxic waste in the woods at night