Goatwhore
Blood For The Master
Metal Blade Records
So, what’s the new Goatwhore like?
(Metal head considers) Um, fast…
Yes, it’s true; the new Goatwhore album Blood For The Master is fast. Wicked fast. Super fast. Fuck you false metal forever fast. If somebody could capture the speed of the harshest winds in the Antarctic they might come close to understanding the High Rocktane insanity of Goatwhore. For 15 years this band has been lighting a fire under the ass of metal with their blood drenched combination of death metal, black metal, Motorhead grooves and punk. However, to simply rate Goatwhore as a fast band that brings the pissed off pain in waves of spike fisted pummeling would be to do them a disservice. There’s so much more going with Goatwhore and this record is no exception.
The first crack across the skull comes in the form of “Collapse In Eternal Worth”, a tune that enters the fray with a black metal intro before diving into a driving thrash riff. While the speed remains a constant on the track, Sammy Duet’s guitar skills have him playing with the riff all throughout. He doesn’t change it significantly; he just attacks it different and gives a fevered pitch to the song as well as subtle changes in the flavor.
“In Deathless Tradition” shows Goatwhore deviating a tiny bit from their formula. There are a few time changes here as well as focus on groove over speed. I dig that drummer Zack Simmons isn’t tethered to double bass speed at all times. Here he gives not only a solid groove but also a few off time moves and some tasty chops as well. I have to give it up to Duet again; a killer solo rides through the middle of “In Deathless Tradition”.
“Judgment Of The Bleeding Crown” is a straight black metal jam with a dash of thrash tossed in for soloing purposes. “Beyond The Spell Of The Discontent” shows off Goatwhore’s punk rock roots while “Death To The Architects Of Heaven” is their fucked up nod to the bay area thrash scene. Blood For The Master is a cornucopia of musical enjoyments all skinned, bathed in blood and offered up on a platter made of skulls.
The final touch to what makes Goatwhore so good is the vocals of Louis Benjamin Falgoust III. For the most part when I hear barking and growling vocals I tune out. They’re usually so boring I end up wishing the band had gone instrumental. Falgoust approaches his vocal duties from a different angle. Sure he screeches but you can understand him, he’s growly but not to a point that he sounds like a pissed off bulldog. To put it best, Falgoust adds a dash of humanity, which makes all the difference.
What folks seem to miss with Goatwhore is the level of musicianship and the quality of the songs. This isn’t just a collection of hyper riffs played over double bass jerk off drums with some dude screaming over them. The fifteen years of live shows and albums have created some real songwriters here and if you listen to Blood For The Master with a critical ear you’ll catch an album way ahead of the genre it’s lumped into. That’s the magic with Goatwhore, you can take what they do at face value or you can dig deeper. Either way you’ll end up dancing around your room and debating whether or not tonight is the night you burn the Earth to cinders.
CRAVE ONLINE RATING 8/10
