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GOATROCITY
Atrocity Of God EP

Self-released (2024)
Rating: 7/10

Isn’t it just a bit cringeworthy that a Romanian black-thrash act has a song called ‘True Norwegian Black Metal’? The EP also attempts to look like Blasphemy while sounding like Bathory’s bastard child with South American black metal. However, in spite of the familiarity of influences this is still enjoyable blasphemous noise that does exactly what it’s supposed to, and that’s pretend to conjure evil spirits by grasping and wheezing through cloying thick smoke and fibres of rust.

Little imagination goes into constructing songs such as ‘Black Magic Ritual’ which is a draught in a reputedly haunted house; creaking floorboards, banging doors and violent winds form like manifestations of vintage Bathory. ‘Book Of The Dead’ is zipping black speed metal that channels early Teutonic phase, especially in the vocal snaps. There’s a tasty hook in there among the barbed wire and stench of alcohol stained leather.

‘True Norwegian Black Metal’ and ‘Truth’ are a pair of despicable numbers bolstered by their spine of hissing percussion and rapid fire dungeon axe work. There’s next to no mid-tempo thought pattern, although the title track wheezes like some long forgotten New Wave Of British Heavy Metal cut daubed in oil.

Goatrocity set out to be nasty and gnarly and they have achieved their aim under the glow of an infernal moon.

Neil Arnold

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