Goatsnake

Rising from the ashes of stoner/doom legends Obsessed during the small genre's most fertile post-Kyuss period, Goatsnake helped define Southern California's low-and-slow metal scene during the late '90s. With releases on Hydrahead Records, Frank Kozik's famed Man's Ruin, and Southern Lord Records (co-owned by guitarist Greg Anderson) Goatsnake could be considered a quintessential stoner/doom band of their time. The group is only separated by two degrees with the inimitable Saint Vitus; Kyuss bassist Scott Reeder has performed with the band; and Southern Lord (while perhaps contributing to the end of Goatsnake by demanding the attention of bandleader Anderson) came into its own just about the time that stoner rock's California flagship label, Man's Ruin, went belly up, thereby maintaining an obscure West Coast rock tradition. Facts like these suggest that while Goatsnake might not have been the best Sabbath hounds to materialize after the circus (led by Kyuss) essentially left town, they were among the heartiest, and the most legitimate heirs to the California stoner throne. They were true believers. In 1996, when Obsessed disbanded for good, the group's rhythm section (bassist Guy Pinhas and drummer Greg Rogers) began looking for a guitarist to jam with when a mutual friend suggested Greg Anderson (who had recently departed Seattle noise rockers Engine Kid). Anderson moved south to L.A., and the three musicians hit it off. After just a few tunes were completed, vocalist and desert-session regular Pete Stahl (Scream, Wool, Earthlings?) was recruited, and the first Goatsnake incarnation was complete. In 1998, two 7" singles, IV and Man of Light, were released and the band also appeared on several metal compilations. Word spread in the stoner underground that a new...