Goad
The Silent Moonchild

The Goad are a historic and mythical Italian prog group formed in Florence at the end of 1983 by the brothers Maurilio and Gianni Rossi. They have numerous albums characterized by dark and gritty sounds in line with themes and lyrics of horror and fantasy topics: it is no coincidence that they recorded two concepts dedicated to legendary figures of horror literature like Edgar Allan Poe ("Tribute To Edgar Allan Poe" - 1995 - Multipromo) and H.P. Lovecraft ("The Wood - Dedicated To H.P. Lovecraft" - 2005 - Mellow Records). However, their discography is very rich and includes albums of great value like "In The House Of The Dark Shining Dreams" (2007) and "Masquerade" (2011) the latter released by the worthy Black Widow, a sort of institution when it comes to music connected with the occult and esotericism. Now, again for the Genoese label, their new album titled "The Silent Moonchild" is being released. It is not easy to define the sound of the Goad and this certainly speaks to their credit: the settings are sulfurous and dark, and very original even if, undoubtedly, there are references to classics like King Crimson, Genesis, and Van Der Graaf Generator. Perhaps an analogy could be made with Italian names like Jacula or the more recent Devil Doll, but this is more for certain atmospheres: in reality, the Goad are, in my opinion, a great band. This new "The Silent Moonchild" also does not disappoint, immersing us in a long nightmare right from the initial "Except Hate" in which dark and menacing keyboards create a "Lovecraftian" atmosphere worthy of a horror film. But the whole album generally maintains excellent levels with peaks of the sinuous "Here With Me", the classical "The Silent Moonchild", "Fading Under A Large Hat" which pays tribute to the Genesis, and the explosive "The Book Of Time". This "The Silent Moonchild" is ultimately a further confirmation of the value of the Goad and an album that I warmly recommend to all lovers of dark-tinged prog.