UMUR
"Frequencies from Planet Ten" is the debut full-length studio album by UK, London based stoner metal act Orange Goblin. The album was released through Rise Above Records in 1997. Orange Goblin formed in 1995. They were however already active from 1994 to 1995 under the Our Haunted Kingdom monicker. They initially played doom/death metal, but when they decided for a stylistic change they also opted for a name change.
"Frequencies from Planet Ten" opens with "The Astral Project", and right of the bat the listener is treated to heavy groove laden riffs and energetic organic rhythms of the late 60s blues rock school (...and of course early 70s Black Sabbath). Just add a healthy dose of heaviness and a spoonful of psychadelia and you´re halfway there. Orange Goblin actually incorporate quite a few mellow and stoned psychadelic moments on the album to compliment their heavy riffs. Lead vocalist Ben Ward sings both raw and more mellow type vocals. He is not the most distinct sounding vocalist on the scene and his vocals are actually one of the less interesting features on the album, but he gets the job done.
"Frequencies from Planet Ten" is well produced, featuring a powerful organic sounding production, which suits the material well. So it´s an album featuring both good and less remarkable moments and features. The songwriting is decent but nothing out of the ordinary for the genre, and you´ll find very little here you haven´t heard before. That´s more or less the premise of the stoner metal genre, but artists are always welcome to add just a little bit of originality to the table, which Orange Goblin pretty much neglect to do here. A 3 star (60%) rating is warranted.