Goatwhore is back to blaspheme.
Formed in 1997 in the United States, the band composed of Sammy Pierre Duet (guitar/vocals, ex-Acid Bath, ex-Crowbar), L. Ben Falgoust II (vocals, Soilent Green, ex-Paralysis), Zack Simmons (drums, Doomsday, Trocar) and Trans Am (bass, ex-Hod) announces the release of their eighth album, Angels Hung from the Arches of Heaven, on Metal Blade Records.
The album starts with Invocation 3, an oppressive introduction which quickly sets the mood for Born of Satan’s Flesh, a massive composition which lets the Black, Death and Thrash Metal influences express themselves at full speed. Also noteworthy are the powerful vocal parts and the sharp leads, bringing an interesting diversity to the track which leaves us with The Bestowal of Abomination, another aggressive yet quite melodic composition. The track’s mystical atmosphere strengthens its mysterious darkness and catchy harmonics before letting dissonance resurface on Angels Hung from the Arches of Heaven, a rather soaring track which gives way to the band’s haunting tones. The sharp riffs are also out to create an intense duality before Death from Above returns to raw efficiency and jerky patterns, making this rather short track a block of pure efficiency which continues on the heavy and oppressive Ruinous Miturgy. The track is just as energetic as the previous one, but riffs and vocal parts are heavier, unlike Victory Is the Lightning of Destruction and its as lively as airy atmosphere, feeding once again the unholy contrast soaked in a bloody Thrash. Voracious Blood Fixation goes back to raw energy and wild leads without forgetting the tenacious darkness the band fervently cultivates just like on The Devil’s Warlords and its jerky blast accompanied by fast and jerky riffs. The atmosphere is obviously directed towards belligerent sounds which will prove their efficiency on stage, then the sound becomes more worrying when Weight of a Soulless Heart begins, quickly followed by impimpressive and dissonant riffs. The atmosphere is softer and more heady than on the previous tracks, but fury will flare up again with Nihil and its Old School Death Metal accents, but the track is unfortunately a bit short, and it will guide us to And I Was Delivered from the Wound of Perdition, the last composition, which comes to close the album with an unexpected sweetness, letting the most airy melodies express themselves before calling the blast again on the last part.
Goatwhore’s universe continues to borrow from the most violent and extreme styles to pay tribute to darkness. We will still have more soaring shades with Angels Hung from the Arches of Heaven, an album which knows perfectly how to captivate its audience.
90/100