Expect consistency
Everyone’s favorite goblin themed metal band is back with another impactful and zany collection of death metal bliss. The band’s 2015 album, Heavy Meta, was released three years ago and continued a long line of goblin antics that started way back in 2007. Now entering their eleventh year, Nekrogoblikon gives us Welcome to Bonkers, which sounds exactly what its title suggests.
In the vein of niche bands such as Alestorm and Powerwolf, Nekrogoblikon maintain a steady theme throughout their discography. Songs about goblin attacks are second nature to the group and always pervade on every album the band releases. Although this may seem repetitive and overplayed, Nekrogoblikon maintains consistency and stellar musicianship through their works, and Welcome to Bonkers stays within that trend.
The first song on the album, “Mold” is a real highlight and may very well encompass most of what the rest of the LP has to offer. The clean vocals and the Halloween-esque theatrical melodies really shine through on this truly unique track. The juxtaposition between “goblin” and clean vocals allow this song to take on many different identities throughout its four-minute length.
Directly after “Mold,” the listener is treated to the haunting piano melodies of “The Many Faces of Dr. Hubert Malbec.” This second track on the LP brings together aggressive fantastical melodies with sporadic piano interludes, once again bringing a very Halloween-centric vibe to the table. In addition, the pseudo breakdown at the 1:30 mark and the synth solo that follows it are truly catchy and special.
Another great track on the album is “The Magic Spider,” which uses a large array of instruments to create a goofy, yet memorable, musical journey. The song almost sounds like the intro of a Native Construct song, and the steel drums at the end really take the cake for creating odd instrumentation on a metal album.
Overall, Welcome to Bonkers had no real low points and it remained entertaining throughout. Every song on the LP had some eclectic moments and fell in line with Nekrogoblikon’s other works. This continued trend is not a bad thing as each of the band’s LP’s are packed with great death metal songwriting that consistently delivers. All this album does is really add more solid material to Nekrogoblikon’s repertoire, which is a great thing for this enjoyable group.
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