Boy oh boy, this review is going to be a doozy. When I was looking down the list of upcoming releases for this month on the ever informative Metal Archives, I almost had to do a double take. “Wait…Goblet? Could it be?” You see, I’m no stranger to these Massachusetts thrashaholics. They came through the Windy City a handful of times back in the day (mid 2010s) and never disappointed. In terms of stupid, carefree, party til you puke thrash metal, they were one of the least cringe worthy bands of the movement. Oh, and I remember their lead singer being a total nutcase which added to their drunken charm.
Fast forward to 2020. While everyone else has grown up and traded their thrashing shoes for a $400 Bolt Thrower longsleeve, Goblet continues to thrash it up with the arrival of their debut full length, Bastard Thrash. If you’ve followed Goblet for the past 5+ years, you’ll recognize some of these tracks. There’s plenty of re-recordings of songs from the Spring Thaw (2014) and On Tap (2015) EPs, the highlight being my choice cut, “Dragons in Space”. Holy high school flashback Batman! I vividly remember moshing to this, battle jacket, cargo shorts, and all, at the Fallout (Chicago’s premiere DIY thrash zone) circa 2016. What a pleasure to be revisited by an old friend.
Musically, Goblet stays true to the mosh centric riffs which dominated this era. The faster/more violent sections sound a tad like Demolition Hammer (“Madman in the Band Van”), but even those can’t shed the pizza thrash tendencies. Lyrically, it takes only one glance at Goblet’s song titles to see what they’re about: “Beer at the Wine Bar”, “Forced Blunt Trauma”, and “Hashtronaut” are just a few examples. The last song of this bunch has the honor of perhaps being the world’s first stoner thrash song. I know that sounds oxymoronic, but it starts as a fuzzy thrasher, before slowing down and becoming a THC infused dirge.
If party thrash is dead, Goblet didn’t get the memo. It’s their carefree, breakneck spirit that’ll carry us through the rest of the year. So order some pizza, grab a six pack, roll up a joint, and lace up your trusty high tops. You’ve got some Bastard Thrashin’ to do!
6 out of 10
Label: Independent
Genre: Thrash Metal
For fans of: Municipal Waste, Lich King, Texas Toast Chainsaw Massacre