Band: Goatwhore
Album: Blood For The Master
Release date: February 2012
Genre: Blackened Death Metal
Label: Metal Blade Records
I’ll be honest, I’ve never listened to Goatwhore before despite them being a blackened death metal act. All I really know about them is that they’re from New Orleans in the United States and that “Blood For The Master” is their fifth studio release, which is available 14th February through Metal Blade Records.
”Collapse in Eternal Worth” greets you straight away with a frenzy of snarling vocals and barbaric instrumentation. There’s a slight Darkthrone influence ringing through the riffs here and there, keeping the guitars raw sounding but the song’s key feature is the speed. Goatwhore increase the dose of blasphemous heavy riffs in the next track “When Steel And Bone Meet” fusing it with furious melodic (I’m not sure if that’s the right term) guitar work, sounding like pissed off demon playing a solo. The lyrics conjure up some pleasantly violent images, which I think helps add to the enjoyment of the music.
”Parasitic Scriptures of the Sacred Word” smashes into the listener’s fragile ears like a bus crashing head-on into a raging rhino. The flow of the vocals weaves in and out of the music like sewing needle, carefully threading the track together into a brilliant piece. The guitar solo was a big turn-off for me though. “In Deathless Tradition” sounds oddly epic and grand when it first led the assault against my ear drums – That was until the vocals came in and rampaged through the track. The guitar work is sluggish, bordering on the lines of effete – It’s [the song] certainly not something I’d enjoy hearing live. The album bounces back with the more forceful and tenacious “Judgement of the Bleeding Crown”. The guitar work is stauncher than on the previous track algamating well with the rest of the music and the beastly vocals.
An intermix of melodic riffs and acoustic work sounds in “Embodiment of This Bitter Chaos”, which in turn summon up the song’s evolution into a storming creature of cold-blooded heaviness. The song is like getting an injection from the doctor – All over and done with before you know it despite it being almost five minutes long. The screaming of perverse and diabolical guitars call you back for another dose of aggressive, face-melting savagery in the form of “Beyond the Spell of Discontent” but the song soon grows stale like week-old bread.
“Death to the Architects of Heaven” doesn’t add any new buzz to the album, in fact, it adds to the staleness of the previous song. The guitars and drums are tighter than a well-built submarine but the song overall lacks flavour. “An End to Nothing” howls its way next with a very thrashy sound, injecting a sugar rush of excitement and blasphemous fun into the ears. The guitar solo leaves much to be desired but the thrills just keep coming with this track after the solo. “My Name is Frightful among the Believers” might sound like a line from a cheesy good vs evil movie but the song itself is so lacking in cheesiness that even lactose intolerants could enjoy it. The vigorous guitars work wonders with the dynamic drums and vocals which will no doubt leave you on the edge of your seat.
As stated above I’d never listened to Goatwhore before, so I had no clue what was in store for me. Ignoring the few prolix parts, the album [Blood For The Master] is a powerhouse of violent music and beast-like vocals and would definitely be a good treat for your sweetheart on Valentine’s Day when its released.
4.4/5
Valkyrian Music 