Witching Chronicles: Exploring GOATFATHER’s House of the Rising Smoke

I don’t know what’s in the water down there, but GOATFATHER sounds like they’ve been breathing exhaust fumes for breakfast again. Their third album, House of the Rising Smoke, comes out this October and, to be honest, it’s probably their most “them” record yet. If you’ve heard Monster Truck you’ll get the idea, but this one’s heavier, greasier, slower in some parts, and yet somehow catchier too. Six tracks only, but that’s fine – more would probably melt your speakers.

There’s a new bassist, Violeine, from Witchgrove, and she fits like she’s been there from day one. The low end rumbles like an old diesel van idling outside a bar at 2AM, while the guitars are soaked in fuzz – you can practically hear the amps sweating. The vocals, half shouted, half chanted, sound like someone who smoked through the recording session and then kept going.

Musically, it’s still that same heavy stoner rock with southern flair, but they don’t lean too hard on cliches. It’s got a lot of swagger, but also some darker edges; it feels more like a dirty French take on the desert sound. Less “Kyuss in the sun”, more “Truckfighters in a basement with bad ventilation”, The production’s thick but not polished – you can hear the space between the amps, that warm live bleed that makes you want to see it on stage with your beer shaking in the cup.

Honestly, I wouldn’t say there are big surprises here, but that’s kind of the point. GOATFATHER aren’t reinventing anything, they’re just refining what they already nailed: riffs, grooves, and that “we play loud because it’s cheaper than therapy” energy. Some people might want more variety or clean moments, but this is not a record for variety; it’s a record for driving nowhere at night and letting the fuzz do its job.

House of the Rising Smoke sounds like four people who know exactly what they want to sound like and don’t care who doesn’t get it. It’s a record that feels alive, even when it moves like a bulldozer. Not perfect, not clean – but that’s what makes it worth coming back to.

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Released by Argonauta Records on October 24, 2025
Music source for review – Grand Sounds PR