Being eleven long years since their last trek to Australia, ORANGE GOBLIN are way overdue for a bone jarring jaunt and have promised to pull out all the stompers for an intense and intoxicating atmosphere that will truly show the power and might these British heavyweights are armed with. Emerging amid the exhilarating melee of the mid-‘90s stoner rock and doom explosion, ORANGE GOBLIN immediately endeared themselves to a generation of metal fans by simply going for it at full pelt and some twenty five plus years later, nothing has changed!
As the band venture into the new year, it’s all hell for leather with the release of their tenth studio album scheduled for mid-2024, the first one since 2018’s ‘The Wolf Bites Back’ and the first for new label Peaceville Records. We caught up with frontman Ben Ward to find out what they are most looking forward to during the five-shows in five days tour, as we try to tease some information about the new album as well as find out Ben’s rather surprising choice of dinner guests…
Sean: Hi, Ben, how are you?
Ben: I’m very well, Sean. How are you doing?
Sean: I’m very well, thank you. How’s England today?
Ben: It’s very grey and cold, so standard.
Sean: I came back in March. I’m from Kent, so I came back to see family in March, and it was cold and grey then, funnily enough [laughs].
Ben: I’m from Kent as well. Whereabouts are you from?
Sean: I’m a Deal boy.
Ben: Not far from me. I’m from Ramsgate.
Sean: Oh, are you?
Ben: Yeah. We’re Cinque Port brothers.
Sean: There we go. How strange is that? What a small world.
Ben: Yeah, absolutely. I was actually down Dover and Deal way shortly before Christmas. We were visiting family and going to watch my little nephews play football down there.
Sean: That’s just crazy – Ben, I don’t want to eat up all your morning reminiscing [laughs] but it’s hard to believe that it’s been eleven long years since you’ve been down under to visit us in Australia and finally in April, you’re due back out.
Ben: Absolutely. Yeah. Can’t wait. It’s long overdue. You know, we’ve had constant demand from fans down there. And, all we can do is thank them for their patience because it’s taken a while to get it over the line. You know, our drummer, Chris, has got a daughter down there, so he’s happy to be going back and get a chance to see her. But, when we did Soundwave in 2013, it was an incredible experience and we got to play to a lot of people. But what we’ve never really done is play up close and personal, small club shows. And that’s what we’re excited to do this time. And, you know, we’ve got friends in bands from down there that have told us stories about it. But, you know, we need to see it for ourselves. And here we come.
Sean: Fantastic. Well, five very, very quick shows in five days. I hope you’re prepared with your jet lag.
Ben: Exactly. Yeah, that’s the only sort of downer to the whole thing is that we don’t really get to spend a great deal of time in any one city. It’s going to be we actually land in Adelaide on the day of the show because we’re coming down from Japan. So there’s going to be sort of arrive at Adelaide Airport, go straight to the show. Then the next day, fly into where is it? Where do we go? Canberra? Then the flight straight to Brisbane and to Sydney, Melbourne, and then we’re off to New Zealand. So it’s a real fleeting visit. But hopefully it’s going to be a successful one. And even though it’s taken us ten years or eleven years to get back down there, hopefully this won’t be the last time. So we’ll see. You know, it’s a real shame that we haven’t got time to head over to Perth. I’ve actually got family that emigrated from Ramsgate to Western Australia, and I’m not going to get a chance to see them. But yeah, it’s going to be a nice time.
Sean: Yeah. Sadly, I’m in Perth, but I’ll make sure you’re heading over this side next time.
Ben: Yeah. There’s a few family members went down there from Ramsgate.
(It then transpires that the family members Ben is talking about were actually with me the weekend before this interview at the Big Bash cricket at Optus Stadium. It really is a very small world – Sean).
Sean: Yeah. I noticed a post back in September that you were heading back into the studio in November to begin work on album number ten! How did that all go? And how far away is it all from coming together?
Ben: It’s all recorded. We wrapped up recording on the 19th of December. We worked with a guy called Mike Exeter, who did the last Black Sabbath album and Judas Priest and he’s worked with Tony Iommi quite extensively and Ozzy Osbourne. So, you know, he knows what we’re about. And we know a lot about him and he did a fantastic job. He became like a fifth member of the band throughout the process. He came down to Brighton when we was doing sort of pre-production. He helped sort of change some of the arrangements and things like that. So everything went great. And it’s a really good sounding record. You know, it sounds like Orange Goblin, but dare I say it? There’s elements of prog in there as well as there’s little bits of everything. So I think people will be excited to hear it. I know I am. You know, Mike’s sending us through mixes this week, final mixes for approval. And so far, so good.
Sean: Is there any of the new material going to squeeze its way into the tour?
Ben: I think we have to really. I think that even though the album won’t be out by the time we tour down there, you know, we’re itching to play it live and we haven’t played any of it yet. So, you know, we’ve got this one show in Switzerland in March where we’re going to try and crack a few out. And then by the time we get to Australia, we appreciate the Australian crowd are going to want to hear stuff that they’re familiar with but yeah, I think we’ll sneak one or two in there.
Sean: That’d be a nice little bonus for them all to hear the new material.
Ben: Yeah, they’ll get to do it before Europe.
Sean: And of course, it’s the first album through Peaceville as well, which is a new collaboration for you and the band with the new label. How happy are you with signing with them?
Ben: Yeah, it’s like a dream come true for us, really, because when we first started, the band, you know, we was heavily influenced by the likes of Paradise Lost and Anathema and My Dying Bride and Autopsy and Dark Throne
and all those bands that kind of became aware of because of Peaceville Records. You know, Hammy was sort of a legendary feature in the UK underground. So to finally sort of go full circle and be a part of that label, it’s a huge honour for us and it’s a label that’s got a great worldwide reputation. And they’ve shown a lot of excitement about Orange Goblin. They’ve shown and put a lot of faith in us and 30 years into a career, it’s nice to have that belief from a label as established as they are.
Sean: That’s incredible when you think now already 30 years, you must sometimes just blink and think, where the hell’s that gone?
Ben: Absolutely. And it seems like five minutes ago we were celebrating the 25 year anniversary, which got wiped out because of Covid. But but yeah, it’s crazy to think, you know, when we started, we had no idea that it was going to last this long. We just wanted to have a laugh and have a few beers together. And, you know, if we did a few shows around Sub Reel and places like that, and we thought that that would be good enough.
And then, you know, from making a demo, it got it found its way to Lee Dorian and Rise Above Records, who signed us. And before we knew it, we was out touring with the likes of Cathedral and doing shows with Fu Manchu and Queens of the Stone Age and Danzig and then doing arenas with Alice Cooper and it just kept snowballing. And it was kind of crazy. We never sat down and I look back now I think, you know, I made some mistakes. I was a bit naive in the early days and I thought it was just an excuse for a big piss up the whole time. And I was a record label nightmare. But, you know, that’s also helped shape us. I wouldn’t change anything. I think that’s led us to where we are now. Now I’m actually almost two years sober and can see it for what it is. But I still enjoy it just as much. And I get I get a natural buzz of adrenaline from doing the shows now, whereas it used to be sort of do a couple of shots and a few beers before we go on stage. It’s a different beast, but I feel good. And the band still enjoy doing it. We always said that if it becomes a chore and we’re not enjoying it, that’s when we’ll call it a day. But luckily, that has that’s never been the case. So, you know, we could be here for another 20 years yet. Who knows?
Sean: I’m sure Perth will sneak into one of those cities to visit during the next twenty years [laughs].
Ben: [laughs] It’s going to have to now. It will be like a family barbecue.
Sean: I’ll bring the steaks. So it’s was 2018 when ‘The Wolf Bites Back’ was released. You’ve had all that time to put this new album together. How does it work with the song writing for you guys? Is it a big collaborative effort normally or is it very much individual ideas thrown into the melting pot via text & messenger?
Ben: No, I mean, we were kind of useless when it comes to writing. And you would have thought that with a two year period of no live shows, no activity due to Covid, that would have got our act together. But it didn’t work out that way. We were fortunate in that it was the transition period when Martin left the band and Harry joined, because rather than throw Harry in at the deep end and have them go do all the festivals that we had lined up last summer, he was suddenly locked down at home and he learned everything that he needed to learn. So, by the time we did start playing live again, he was hitting the ground running. But with regards to writing, we never sort of bothered. We did that live album, the digital live album, ‘Rough & Ready, Live & Loud’, which occupied a bit of our time. But it was only sort of the start of last year we really started to think about this new album. And that was only because Peaceville had paid us the advance and said we needed to deliver an album. So it came together. We was actually quite professional in our approach this time. We booked in a load of rehearsal times. And as I say, we went down to Brighton for a few days at a time. We had a lot of time to do pre-production where we invited Mike Exeter down. But it’s the same old process, I think, you know, Joe and Chris write the majority of the stuff musically. Harry contributed a lot of ideas this time because Harry is a very accomplished guitarist and singer and keyboard player. So he had a different element to it. And, you know, as you say, it’s quite easy now with things like WhatsApp where you can exchange ideas and stuff. So, by the time we got together in the studio, we knew what each other was going to sort of come up with. And it came together pretty quickly. And with my sobriety this time around, I was actually more prepared lyrically and everything. So, we went into the studio with all the lyrics written, which gave me a chance to work on ideas for the vocal melodies and stuff like that. I think it’s just a really well-rounded and more accomplished record. And people will sort of hear that, I hope. There’s, as I said, there’s that always going to have that spine of kind of black and white. Like Sabbath and Motörhead as our core influences. But we’ve branched off into other things. I think there’s elements of like King Crimson and Yes and Rush and there’s bits of everything in there. So, yes, it’s an exciting one.
Sean: I look forward to hearing it. I know we reviewed the last album on the website. I look back at 2018, we had a review up for the last album. So I look forward to the new one.
Ben: Yeah. And we really appreciate the support. I think it’s scheduled for June the 7th release.
Sean: Excellent. So I was interested to know how many songs did you actually take into the studio to play around with to put together for the album?
Ben: Just the ten you’re going to hear. Yeah, the label were a bit, “But there was no bonus material?” But we worked with a producer that charges by the song [laughs].
Sean: Rough garage cuts then coming out as bonus tracks then [laughs].
Ben: No, just the ten really accomplished songs unfortunately [laughs]. And I think they’re really mature and they highlight that, you know, in 30 years, we have been doing this band that we have progressed as songwriters and musicians… I’d like to think so anyway. You know, anybody that does a job for 30 years should improve whether you’re a bricklayer on your first day, it’s going to be a bit of a dodgy wall. But 30 years into it, you should be able to build a pretty straight wall. And yeah, I think as musicians, we have definitely improved. You know, everybody’s really stepped up to the part. I don’t know whether that’s Harry’s kind of influence on the band, you know, having a new new boy in the room and feeling. And you like to impress or like I say, me having a completely different lifestyle now. But, you know, Chris’s drums sound great. Joe’s guitar work is phenomenal. Harry’s bass lines are great. And it’s it’s all come together really nicely. And it’s kind of tied together by a science fiction theme on the album. And we’ve used a lot of keyboards to kind of link songs and stuff like that. So it’s almost almost like a prog odyssey.
Sean: It’s almost a concept prog album?
Ben: Yeah, exactly. We have done concepts in the past with ‘Healing Through Fire’ and stuff, but not to this extent.
Sean: So your now Orange Proglin? [laughs]
Ben: Yeah [laughs]
Sean: Well, if I’m taking you right back, Ben, when did it all start for you in the early days before before the band? Was it a school thing or was the music around the house as a youngster?
Ben: Well, my my mum has notoriously bad taste in music, with a few exceptions. I mean, she would be listening to stuff like Barry Manilow on a Sunday morning while she’s doing the housework. So if anything, that drove me towards what my dad was into. And my dad brought me up listening to The Beatles and The Kinks and stuff like that. And at school, I went through every stage of listening to this kind of hip hop and things like that when you’re easily led by the crowd, especially being sort of a footballer at school. I was into more sort of mainstream music, shall we say. So I went until I sort of left home around fifteen or sixteen and then I started to get into stuff like Guns N’ Roses and Metallica, which kind of gateway bands, I guess, at that age. I left Ramsgate when I was fifteen, moved to London to play for QPR. And that’s where I met Martin. We saw we were the only two kids at a YTS (Youth Training Scheme) level that were into Metallica. So, we bonded over that and our love of TV shows like The Young Ones and Blackadder and stuff like that. We got talking and Martin was already in at the deep end. So I went round to his house and from listening to him and then I started to get into Metallica and Justice For All. He started playing me stuff like Carcass, The Crosses and The Scantily Insalubrious, Obituary and Napalm Death and all this stuff. And it kind of opened my eyes. And then, you know, Martin’s dad, he played a big role in it as well. He introduced us to Black Sabbath, Deep Purple and Led Zeppelin and stuff like that. So, you know, it was I kind of went backwards in my introduction to music. So then we went back into heavy 70s rock. So it was a big mishmash. And then we met Joe through mutual friends and he was into like Hendrix and Jimmy Page and Led Zeppelin and stuff. And Pete Martin we knew from school because they were into Iron Maiden and stuff. So it was a it was a kind of chance meeting, really. But it makes for a good story. When people ask me about why I got into extreme music, I think it’s because it was kind of, you know, that teenage rebellion against my mum’s love of Barry Manilow [laughs].
Sean: See. Barry’s got a credit for something. He’s got credit from helping to form Orange Goblin, in rebellion to his music [laughs]. We just had a Obituary here in Australia just a few weeks ago actually, sadly not in Perth. They were over east. We covered their show.
Ben: Yeah. Good friends of mine. And I work for Terry’s other band, Left to Die and In Human Condition as well. So, you know, I keep in touch with him quite a lot. And he said that I was heading down there. And I think it’s the same promoters in Soundworks Direct. They’ve done a great job. And they’ve branched off to Japan as well. So we’re working with Soundworks Direct in Japan for those days there as well. And then, you know, speaking to Brad and Dicey for a while now. And yeah, Dicey put this whole press together for these interviews. And they’ve done a great job. And I think, you know, we made the right choice going back down there with those guys.
Sean: Excellent to always hear bands pleased with choices they make with promoters, especially when heading over to the other side of the world. We’ve enjoyed working with them too over these last few months. I’ve only got a couple more questions to keep you on with. My restaurant question. If you could invite three musicians, dead or alive, to join you for a bit of dinner, who would you like to sit around the table with?
Ben: Good question. Probably John Lennon, mainly to find out if he was a red (Liverpool FC) or a blue (Everton FC) [laughs]. I’d have to say Lemmy, because of the stories and everything. Then it’d probably be someone from history, I think someone you wouldn’t expect – Someone like Wagner or Tchaikovsky or someone, you know, that’s made a huge impact… Brahms or someone like that. Someone who’s music lives on in very much everything that people know.
Sean: All the time I’ve asked that in over one hundred and fifty interviews I’ve never had a classical composer.
Ben: Yeah, I think it’d be interesting because obviously music was written a lot differently then as it is than it is now. And it’d be interesting to find out what kind of shaped them as musicians. Especially, you know, people like Mozart that, you know, grew up half deaf and still managed to compose the way he did. And it’d be fascinating, I think.
Sean: I see you’ve got an extensive CD collection behind you so the next question could be quite interesting. What’s the last album you listened to?
Ben: Last album I listened to was, I listened to an album called ‘War Remains’ by Enforced. That was yesterday at the gym. They were fantastic. They’re a crossover band, sort of sounds like early Sepultura and Slayer mixed with a little bit of Integrity and old American hardcore. They’re a great band. They’re one of the bands on my roster. And yeah, it’s one of the strongest albums released last year, I think. So I highly recommend that.
Sean: Well, I’ll give it, I’ll chuck it on after this. Easiest question saved for last. If you could be credited with writing any song ever written, what song would you choose?
Ben: You know what? This is a question I get asked quite a lot. I always answer with the same one because it surprises people. But for me, it’s just, it’s not a heavy song. It’s not metal related in any way.
But it’s a song that I remember listening to a lot as a kid. And it’s sort of, for me, it’s kind of the epitome of song writing. It’s just the melody, the structure and everything. And it’d be ‘Waterloo Sunset’ by The Kinks. It’s a beautiful song. It’s got great sentiment. It’s really melodic. It’s just a great piece of music.
Sean: Wonderful. I shall add that to my playlist, which I have put together for all that answer that one. So what does the rest of 2024 have in store for you guys? Obviously, Japan, Australia and New Zealand.
And then what does the back end of, or the middle and back end of the year have?
Ben: There’s festivals throughout the summer. I have to look at my wall chart here (Ben turns to look at an extensive chart on his wall). So we’re off to Poland, we’re off to Norway, we’re off to the Netherlands, we’re off to Germany, we’re off to France, we’re off to Belgium. There will be a UK tour later in the year, which is yet to be announced. I think that’s going to be announced around the time that the new album campaign sort of gets put out there. And who knows? There’s offers coming in every day, but we’re restricted to what we can do. This trip to Japan, Australia, and New Zealand is taking up two weeks of our time. And the other guys, we all have to work day jobs and they only get so much holiday allowance a year, so we do what we can. But that means it keeps it interesting because what we can’t do this year, we can do next year or the following year. And as I say, we’re still enjoying it in ourselves and we’re still having fun doing it. So as long as that continues, as long as that drummer stays alive, because he’s like 54 now [laughs]. So if we can keep him sort of upright and propped up on his stool, then we’ll keep touring.
Sean: Ben, thank you ever so much for your time. We wish you a fantastic preparation for the tour and obviously all the success that will come with it. We’ll make sure we get a reviewer and a photographer to one of the shows over east, hopefully Melbourne.
Ben: Brilliant Sean. And we look forward to seeing someone from The Rockpit out there at one of our shows. Thank you very much, Sean. It’s been an absolute pleasure. Anytime you’re back over in Kent, give us a shout.
Sean: I will do. I’ll give you a shout and hopefully we’ll see you out here in Perth for the next tour.
Ben: Sounds good. Cheers, Sean. All the best.
