Goatblood - "Veneration of Armageddon" (Dunkelheit Produktionen, 2016)

Band: Goatblood
Title: Veneration of Armageddon
Genre: Bestial Black/Death Metal with Grindcore influences
Year: 25th December 2016
Time: 36 min
Rating: 58/100












You can read my review (in Italian) about the Nuclear Perversions/Goatblood split through the following link:

http://www.heavymetalwebzine.it/2015/08/08/goatblood-nuclear-perversions-rex-judaeorum-wolves-of-apocalypse-2015/

So many albums were released on the 2016's Christmas Eve with the purpose to celebrate the desecration of Christ that the gifts were real sonic blasphemies! One of them was "Veneration of Armageddon" of Goatblood, a German duo not new for me since I knew them through their split with Nuclear Perversions released 2 years ago for Iron Bonehead Productions. Shortly after that split, Goatblood (which becomes a three-piece for the live rituals due to the addition of a bassist) released their first album, "Adoration of Blasphemy and War", and now they are back with another "interminable" bible of blasphemous obscenities through an unholy alliance with their compatriot label Dunkelheit Produktionen!

Goatblood belongs to the now vast hellhole of the bestial black/death metal (my favorite extreme metal genre!) being they are very influenced by bands like Bestial Warlust (my favorite all-time extreme metal band!), Beherit, Archgoat and Revenge. This German band plays this genre in the most primitive and filthy possible way expressing always a very bad taste yet starting with absurd titles like "Sexcraving Witchcunt", "Lamb Hymen Virgin Booster" or "Anorexic Goatchick". Meanwhile, the 18 songs (and I repeat EIGHTEEN!) of the album are played with a so "I don't give a total fuck"-attitude to last in any case only one-two minutes offering also an almost inexistent variety. Moreover, expect a bunch of garbage elegantly breathed by miasmic growls alternated with various catarrhal exhalations, an apocalyptic riffing à la Bestial Warlust, some very short blows of lead guitar played by the session Goatkommander (bassplayer of Goatblood for their live rituals), a barbaric onslaught of fast tempos while the production is raw also if it isn't so cavernous as the tradition of the genre wants.

But, more specifically, Satanic Death Vulva and co. offers some particular features that make their assault a bit personal. For example, the ferocity of some songs (yet helped a lot by their miniscule lenght) is so excessive to reach the nihilism and the chaos of grindcore, especially into songs like "Shred the Threat" and "Satan Fucks the Universe" (my favorite songs of the entire album). But, paradoxically, the usual pace of the Goatblood's assault is fast but not too much with the result that it isn't so particularly violent, and this is due especially by the ultra-minimal drums of Reverend Slayer since he often plays curiously into a kind of a slow blast-beat. Besides, the riffing is sometimes...a bit "melodic", and the better example of this is given by "Last Siege of Jerusalem", that ends into a fading mid-tempo with fatalistic pure black metal tones. Finally, the songs "Necroromantic Lovers" and "Congregation of Suicidal Ceremony" have some atmospheric parts due to the addition of very simple keyboards, strangely abandoned for the rest of the album. So, there is a very bit of variety into "Veneration of Armageddon", also considering some mid-tempo songs like "Lamb Hymen Virgin Booster" (which has a quasi-punkish vibe).

Anyway, said frankly, Goatblood still don't seriously convinces me. For me, the initial idea is fantastic; an ultra-violent and grinding bestial black/death metal brand full of anti-Judeo-Christian bad taste and able to incinerate this fuckin' world! But, as I said before, the entire assault is not so violent or intense due a particular but dull general pace. Unfortunately, this little intensity bring to consider that the 18 songs of the album are too many. Ergo, my main suggestion to the band is the following: make faster and more violent your sound in a similar way to fantastic songs like "Shred the Threat" and "Satan Fucks the Universe" (this last one sounds in a fuckin' Sarcofago's adorable manner!) plus "Serpent of Nod" (which is a bit melodic). At least, this means that Goatblood are on the right way, they should only shows completely their big destructive potential!

Tracklist:

1 - Joseph's Brain (intro)
2 - Shred the Threat
3 - Necroromantic Lovers
4 - Congregation of Suicidal Ceremony
5 - Excretion in a Red Burst
6 - Last Siege of Jerusalem
7 - Bum of Bethlehem
8 - Goatland Rules Supreme
9 - Mary's Happy Enema
10 - Grueling Forces Fisting Jesus
11 - Lamb Hymen Virgin Booster
12 - Sexcraving Witchcunt
13 - Collapse of Shitbowl Earth
14 - Ultimate Meltdown Imminent
15 - Satan Fucks the Universe
16 - Serpent of Nod
17 - Anorexic Goatchick
18 - Magda's Blood (outro)

Line-up:

Satanic Death Vulva - vocals/guitars/bass
Goatkommander (session) - guitar solos
Reverend Slayer - drums/vocals

FaceBook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Goatblood/492948934177125?sk=timeline
Dunkelheit Produktionen: http://www.dunkelheit-produktionen.de/