ORANGE GOBLIN are stalwarts of the British heavy metal scene. Having started out as a stoner rock band with their debut Frequencies From Planet 10, over the next three decades their sound has evolved to incorporate elements of traditional heavy metal, punk, thrash and blues. Their tenth album, Science, Not Fiction, is set for release in July on Peaceville Records nearly 30 years into the band’s career.
“Next year will be our 30 year anniversary,” says Ben Ward, the band’s giant of a frontman. “It’s over half of my life. Sometimes it feels like a prison sentence but it’s been a fun, enjoyable ride. When we started out we were bored teenagers that just wanted to make music and we had no preconceptions of where it was gonna go. We’d have been chuffed with doing a three track demo and some shows in the local pubs. But it kind of snowballed from there.”
When the band formed in the late 90s it was in the midst of a stoner rock explosion in the UK. Alongside ORANGE GOBLIN, there was a thriving scene developing with bands such as ELECTRIC WIZARD, CATHEDRAL and ACRIMONY, while American bands like KYUSS, FU MANCHU, and MONSTER MAGNET, were making trips over the pond. “We were the go-to support to play those shows, which really helped escalate our profile,” reflects Ben. “Then signing to Lee Dorian’s [CATHEDRAL, ex-NAPALM DEATH] label in 1995 and releasing our first album cemented our position within that scene. It’s been an amazing journey since then.”
Ben and his bandmates cut their teeth in an age before social media, where building your following was all about going out, playing shows, sleeping on the equipment in the back of a clapped out van, recording demos and trading tapes, and getting their name out via fanzines. They’ve stuck to this DIY ethos throughout their career, which Ben believes is firmly rooted in the heavy metal lifestyle, and it’s clear from their lyrics and live shows that ORANGE GOBLIN are lifers.
“Heavy metal isn’t something you just dip your toe into. It’s a lifestyle,” says Ben. “As a kid I went through different phases at school where I was into stuff like THE BEATLES and THE KINKS because my dad was into that and my mum was into Motown and soul and I still love all that stuff but it was only when I discovered hard rock and heavy metal that I found my calling. As you get involved in it you notice that camaraderie within the scene. We’re all deemed as freaks and weirdos by what people would call normal society and I loved that and bought into that whole thing. For anyone who plays our style of music it’s what fuels us and drives our ambition.”
Booze has always been a big part of Ben’s life, having grown up in a pub. During his career as musician he admits to using heavy metal as an excuse to indulge and in doing so developed a reputation of one of the scene’s most hedonistic wildmen. But, as he says, it got to a point where he had to make a change. “I was going through bouts of depression and my weight ballooned and I wasn’t a nice person to be around. I made the call to change once and for all. I didn’t go to any counselling or anything I just had the willpower and decided enough was enough. I’ve got a son, a wife and my bandmates and my behaviour was detrimental to all of that. My only regret is not doing it sooner. I used to think that I needed a drink to go on stage but I realised there’s a natural adrenaline that I get now which is far better than any drink or drug.”
It’s certainly a change for the better. There is a newfound clarity in Ben’s performance, not just in his forceful, preacher-like delivery which he says is inspired in part by CLUTCH’s Neil Fallon, but also in the lyrics. It’s a much more personal album than previous offerings.
“This album is more personal to me because of those lifestyle changes that I’ve gone through and it’s opened my eyes to what’s going on in the world around me. In the past I used to bury myself in the idea of fantasy, which is something I love about heavy metal and is one of the things that drew me to it in the first place, DIO singing about wizards and dragons but I wanted to do something a bit different for ORANGE GOBLIN. There’s commentary on social events that have gone on in the last few years. That’s where the album’s title Science Not Fiction comes from.”
Perhaps the most explicit example of social commentary on the album is on the track False Hope Diet, in which he deals with issues such as the COVID pandemic, vaccines and even chemtrails. These are potentially contentious issues but Ben isn’t worried about facing backlash because of them. “No because I think those issues need facing. What I’ve come to realise is that I’m not the best singer in the world, I’m not Bruce Dickinson, but what I am good at is not giving a fuck about what people think of me or what they say about me. These things are just my observations, they don’t necessarily mean that they’re the thoughts of the whole band, it’s just me pouring my thoughts onto a song. False Hope Diet is me saying we’re fucking sick of the lies that we’re getting fed on a daily basis by the television, the newspapers, the government. It’s bullshit and there’s only so much we can take.”
Fittingly, with it being the band’s tenth album, the alien world depicted on the cover is a subtle nod to their debut, Frequencies From Planet 10. They bring thing’s full circle with the barnstorming closer, which serves as a reflection of the band’s career to date and hints that this could be the end for ORANGE GOBLIN. “The last song on the album is called End Of Transmission because that first album was our first signal to the world and the end of this one could possibly be our last thing we ever do. Whether it is or not is to be seen. I certainly hope it’s not.”
Science, Not Fiction is out now via Peaceville Records.
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