Archgoat are a Finnish death/black metal
band originally formed in 1989 by founding members “Ritual Butcherer” and “Lord
Angelslayer”. Despite the band being formed in 1989 they didn’t release a full length
album until 2006, this is partly due to the fact that the band essentially vanished
form the black metal scene in 1993 and didn’t remerge until the release of
their 2005 EP Angelslaying Black Fucking
Metal. This EP was actually made up of martial originally recorded for a
never finished 1993 album on Necropolis
Records that was abandoned due to disagreements between the studio and the band.
1. Invocation
(Instrumental)
2. Angel
of Sodomy
3. Lord of
the Void
4. Dawn of
the Black Light
5. Luciferian
Darkness
6. Desecration
7. Black
Crusade
8. Whore
of Bethlehem
9. Grand
Marshall of the Black Tower
10. Hammer
of Satan
The band’s first album (Whore of Bethlehem) was released in 2006 and features Lord Angelslayer returning to provide bass and brutality with his vocals, Ritual Butcher on Guitars and for the first time on any Archgoat release “Sinisterror” of the band Torture Killer on Drums.
Almost right from the get go this album feels like it has something to prove, the albums sound is aggressive, crushing, oppressive and downright savage at times. Each track is an all-out blitzkrieg on the listener and seems to almost actively try to brutalize you in any way possible.
The musicianship on this album isn’t that impressive to be honest, it’s nothing we haven’t heard before, and it’s not even that original in terms of older Archgoat material, and it is certainly not technical. However, the album seems to thrive upon its raw and rough aggression that is never polished, it seems to be able to take this lack of technicality and beat you to death with it.
The highlight of the album for me personally though was the stunning, and almost inhuman vocal work of Lord Angelslayer, his vocals added a new layer of brutality to the albums sound that almost eclipsed all other elements.
Overall
this is a superb and highly motivated album with one sole purpose, to fucking annihilate
the listener.
Tracklist:
1. Intro:
3rd Invocation
2. Apotheosis of Lucifer
3. Tribulation of the King of Worms
4. Goat and the Moon
5. Sodomator of the Doomed Venus
6. The Light-Devouring Darkness
7. Blessed in Beast's Blood
8. Worms Born of Martyrdom
9. Fornicated Messiah
10. The Dawn of the Antichrist
2. Apotheosis of Lucifer
3. Tribulation of the King of Worms
4. Goat and the Moon
5. Sodomator of the Doomed Venus
6. The Light-Devouring Darkness
7. Blessed in Beast's Blood
8. Worms Born of Martyrdom
9. Fornicated Messiah
10. The Dawn of the Antichrist
The Light-Devouring Darkness was released in 2009 and see’s the
same line-up from Whore of Bethlehem return
to once again take up their roles in the filth and hatred that is an average Archgoat album.
Unlike the
kind of slightly disorganised, low-fi sound that we heard on the Whore
of Bethlehem album
this release seems to put more of a focus upon the somewhat more technical musical
aspect of the band’s sound, as opposed to the mainly vocal and sewage driven sound
that the first full length provided. On this album we hear the vocals of Lord
Angelslyer put somewhat on a back pedal, this is to me at least of great detriment
to the album, as his vocal work is something truly stunning to behold.
Overall, even though this is a more technically proficient album, and has more in the way of traditional black and death metal structure, it doesn’t have the same pummelling felling that the first album did, nor does it have the same kind of ‘something to fucking prove’ kind of drive.
Overall, even though this is a more technically proficient album, and has more in the way of traditional black and death metal structure, it doesn’t have the same pummelling felling that the first album did, nor does it have the same kind of ‘something to fucking prove’ kind of drive.
Tracklist:
1. Intro
(Left Hand Path)
2. Nuns,
Cunts & Darkness
3. The
Apocalyptic Triumphator
4. Phallic
Desecrator of Sacred Gates
5. Grand
Luciferian Theophany
6. Those
Below (Who Dwell in Hell)
7. Intro
(Right Hand Path) (Instrumental)
8.
Congregation of Circumcised
9.
Sado-Magical Portal
10. Light
of Phosphorus
11.
Profanator of the 1st Commandment
12. Funeral Pyre of
Trinity
The third
and currently final entry in the album discography of Archgoat is the still relatively new The Apocalyptic Triumphator which was released in January of 2015,
and once again saw the same line up return.
Considering
how I was little bit disappointed with The
Light-Devouring Darkness I was fairly apprehensive about the release of
this album last year, thankfully this album fulfilled my expectations, and surpassed
them, and considering this album was my second favourite album of 2015 that is
no exaggeration.
This album
manages to combine, and generally improve upon the best elements of both Whore of Bethlehem and The Light-Devouring Darkness. This
release delivers a constantly changing pace, with a very solid blend of low-fi
filth and sharp technicality, all backed by Lord Angelsleyer’s even more guttural
vocals. This release also features the best drum work I have heard from Archgoat to date, along with some very
dark ad heavy riffs, the best example of which is found the second and what I
think is the best track, Nuns, Cunts
& Darkness.
Overall I
think that this is the current pinnacle in Archgoat’s
career, and I just hope we don’t have to wait another six years for another
full length.
If you
have for any bizarre reason never listened to the foul assault that is the
music of Finland’s Archgoat and you
are a fan of bestial black metal or just plain old blackened death metal you
are missing out on something very special. If you are a fan of projects like Blasphemy, Bestial Warlust, Proclamation,
Abominator or Black Witchery you
will likely get a kick out of Archgoat.
Yes...
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