Classic boogie, psych rock, darker tinges of doom, riffs and melody a-plenty pervade Slow Goat‘s debut LP, Where the Wisest Fear to Tread, is set to self-release on July 10. They’ve got enough groove to share, whatever microgenre they might ultimately reside in, and it’s a bummer there isn’t a song streaming yet from the eight-songer recorded and mixed by Eddie Brnabic of Hippie Death Cult and mastered by Jack Endino, because it’s pretty rad. Definitely a PNW record, strident in its riffing and intangibly classic-feeling, but they have some reach in addition to tighter, shorter pieces peppered throughout, and the lumber of “Sisyphus” makes its title fair enough. I guess they’ll get there when they get there. To be fair, I don’t even know when July is.

The PR wire sent album info and Adam Burke art and such:

Portland, OR heavy psych rockers Slow Goat announce debut album “Where the Wisest Fear to Tread”, out July 10th

Gamy riffs cut from the flank of the Pacific Northwest. Portland, Oregon’s Slow Goat peddles in the heavy and the psychedelic, with fuzzed-out jams thick enough to chew on, all anchored by clear and commanding vocals that drift between ethereal and feral.

Debut album Where the Wisest Fear to Tread took shape over nearly four years, growing with us as we pushed and refined the ideas behind it. The music is close to our hearts, and we’re excited to share it with listeners.

There are no heroes or triumphant victories in these songs. Yet there is persistence in the face of inevitability, endurance throughfutility, and an embrace of that which evokes suffering. Where the Wisest Fear to Tread explores darkness and realms beyond, from the terror within waking nightmare, to the stark reality reflected back in the mirror. The album title itself, a line from the track “Fell Ritual,” serves equally as a warning and invitation to bear anguish. And while many of the album’s themes draw on personal experience and a compulsion to look inward, we encourage the listener to derive their own meaning, or simply none at all. The record does not offer resolution so much as it documents the act of pressing forward despite it.

Sonically, we wanted the album to have real weight and gravity without sacrificing the raw edge of our live experience. One of our main songwriting philosophies is to approach the music live-first; It needs to feel full and complete on stage as one vocalist, guitarist, bassist, and drummer. To that end, we didn’t rely heavily on studio magic to make the music something it’s not, rather, we used things like overdubs or effects to embellish on an already-strong core. Anecdotally, at least one of the long guitar solos on the record came from an early scratch take during the first session.

Where the Wisest Fear to Tread drops July 10th.

Self-released (Digital, Vinyl)
Portland, Oregon, US
Engineered & mixed by Eddie Brnabic (Hippie Death Cult)
Mastered by Jack Endino
Cover Art by Adam Burke
Additional Art by Harold Cuffe
Photo & Layout by Eddie Brnabic

Tracklist:
1. Downward (0:57)
2. Fallen Child (4:23)
3. Visions / Fell Ritual (10:52)
4. Love Like Water (4:21)
5. Dark Procession (7:42)
6. Wilting (6:40)
7. Sisyphus (4:43)
8. Under the Glass (6:38)

Slow Goat is:
Rosie Peterson – Vocals
Danel Black – Guitar
Adam Carter – Bass
Eric Bloombaum – Drums

https://linktr.ee/slowgoat
https://slowgoat.bandcamp.com/
https://www.instagram.com/slowgoatpdx
https://www.facebook.com/SlowGoatPDX/

Slow Goat, Common Enemy (2024)