Goot – The Toll Remains The Same

Goot
The Toll Remains The Same
Label: Worldlessness Records
Out: May 23^rd, 2025
Playing time: 01:15:08

In the email introduction, ‘The Toll Remains The Same’ is described as an album. However, the press release itself refers to it as an ‘extended EP’. If you look at the track list, you will agree with the latter. Five regular songs, the rest are remixes and instrumental or orchestral versions. Although ‘The Toll Remains The Same’ has a total playing time of one and a quarter hour, I would rather categorise the work as the eighth EP. The core of the band Goot comes from Saint Petersburg (Russia). However, well-known guest musicians were invited for the recordings, above all singer David Reece. Goot was founded in 2017 and has since released five full-length albums, seven EPs and countless singles.

We hear a powerful start with the title track ‘The Toll Remains The Same’. Riffs bang out of the speakers. The guitar solo is also very good. Plus the usual strong vocals from David Reece. This is really good Power Metal. Then it gets rhythmic. Guitar riffs, underpinned by an orchestration that doesn’t seem intrusive, accompany the singer on ‘Holes In Me’. ‘Echelon Of Lies’ starts with fast guitars and orchestration. There is variety in terms of tempo. ‘Fail Better’ is the power ballad on the EP. Powerful but still very contemplative. The regular part ends with ‘It’s Just Life’. The tempo picks up for the last time and the riffs pound in the listener’s ears. What follows are instrumental and orchestral versions and various remixes. However, there are only two songs from this EP. The rest have already been released as singles and/or on EPs or albums. Well, I’m not a big fan of remixes. Instrumental versions also make more sense for big fans. Nevertheless, there are one or two songs among them that are worth mentioning. For example, the alternative mix of ‘Babylon In The Rain’ is a beautiful melodic Power Metal song. Or the orchestral version of the ballad ‘Fail Better’, which is even more contemplative in this version. The instrumental versions of ‘Hollow Horses’ and ‘Icarus Will Rise’ are also very powerful. There are two new versions of ‘As The Earth Rotates’. Although I like the ‘Dancing King Mix’ (whatever that is) much better. However, the band could have avoided the last two remixes. The keyboard and synthesiser gimmicks just really annoy me here.

For my rating, I have limited myself to the five regular songs. So, the regular EP ‘The Toll Remains The Same’ is well-made Power Metal. The sound is punchy, and every single song is enhanced by David Reece’s vocals. I would have preferred to hear a complete album of this quality. In my opinion, the rest is mostly dispensable and is probably intended more for die-hard fans.

Goot – Tick Tock (lyric video): https://youtu.be/lw0s4HR7SP8?si=RxK6Hi4TtJksB7Jf

Lineup:

GOOT aka Yan Fedyaev – Guitar, Back Vocals
Zimon aka Simone Sut – Bass
Lorelei Ether aka Anna Vereschagina – Keyboards
Marti Matsilla – Drums
Theodor Borovski – Programming, Sound, Drums

Guests:

David Reece – Vocals, Arrangements
Wayne Dorman – Guitar (1, 3, 4, 10, 13), Orchestrations (9)
Alex Corona – Guitar (7, 11)
Igor Arbuzov – Guitar (5, 6)
Ilya Morozov – Guitar (12)
Anabelle Iratni – Keyboards (10)
Anton Kuran – Programming, Additional production (14, 16, 17)

Track list:

1. The Toll Remains The Same
2. Holes In Me
3. Echelon Of Lies
4. Fail Better
5. It’s Just Life
6. Babylon In The Rain (Alternative Mix)
7. Fail Better (Alternative Mix)
8. Mythical Self (Ambient Mix)
9. Fail Better (Wayne Dorman Orchestral Version)
10. Devour (Instrumental)
11. Hollow Horses (Instrumental)
12. Icarus Down (Instrumental)
13. The Toll Remains The Same (Instrumental)
14. As The Earth Rotates (Q-Ran Asteroid Mix)
15. As The Earth Rotates (Dancing King Mix)
16. Tick Tock (Q-Ran Mix)
17. Sell Yourself (Q-Ran Mix)