Darkthrone
Goatlord
[Moonfog]
Yeeeahhhaaaa!!!!! After months of salivating over the song "Green Cave Float"
from the Moonfog Productions compilation "Crusades From The North", the disc
from whence that song was spawned, "Goatlord", has appeared on these fair
shores.
[History lesson]
"Goatlord" was recorded after "Soulside Journey", which many of you may well know, was the debut Darkthrone disc : a doomish death metal affair, the "black sheep" (sorry about that pun) of the Darkthrone catalog, so to speak.
After a rethink of their musical goals and direction, the band opted out of the stale (to them) death metal scene, to crusade for the resurrection of black metal, spurred on by the megalomanic Euronymous, of the band MAYHEM.
"Goatlord" is Darkthrone's first attempt at a black metal album, but was apparently ditched, in favour of the much colder styles shown in "A Blaze In The Northern Sky". The liner notes are sparse as usual, with an explanation of the album amounting to this :
"Goatloard (sic) is a rehearsal tape recorded in '90-'91, vocals done in '94. This album was meant (sic) to be the second in line of releases, but stands unavailable until now"
The music itself is eeeeviil....incredibly evil. Very bassy in parts, but the buzzsaw guitar is always there, with riffs more akin to those on the death metal disc, while the slower stuff is reminiscent of "Under A Funeral Moon" (To those who've heard the Moonfog Compilation, "Green Cave Float" is VERY indicative of what to expect). Some of the sound quality might be a bit questionable, but hey, Darkthrone never were known for their crisp, clear production.
One of the most notable differences however, is the addition of VERY creepy female singing...whether its sampled or real is unclear, but it does add a very disturbing element to the fray. Check out the spooky fem vox on "Sadomasochistic Rites", and then the chants in the background during "Black Daimon"...shiver!
Also "Goatlord"'s riffing and melodies are also a lot more eerie than both Darkthrone's predeceasing and successive albums. Some of the riffs are downright insane, especially during "In His Lovely Kingdom", and "Black Daimon".
Big disclaimer time.... don't go buying this if you're expecting Immortal, Burzum, Cradle Of Filth, or even Dissection. There's nothing remotely "cool" or "beautiful" about it. Dark, ugly and cold is what's on offer, and Darkthrone never disappoint. "Goatlord" is a must for DT completist, or anyone with a passing interest in the history of black metal.
© 1998 brett
[History lesson]
"Goatlord" was recorded after "Soulside Journey", which many of you may well know, was the debut Darkthrone disc : a doomish death metal affair, the "black sheep" (sorry about that pun) of the Darkthrone catalog, so to speak.
After a rethink of their musical goals and direction, the band opted out of the stale (to them) death metal scene, to crusade for the resurrection of black metal, spurred on by the megalomanic Euronymous, of the band MAYHEM.
"Goatlord" is Darkthrone's first attempt at a black metal album, but was apparently ditched, in favour of the much colder styles shown in "A Blaze In The Northern Sky". The liner notes are sparse as usual, with an explanation of the album amounting to this :
"Goatloard (sic) is a rehearsal tape recorded in '90-'91, vocals done in '94. This album was meant (sic) to be the second in line of releases, but stands unavailable until now"
The music itself is eeeeviil....incredibly evil. Very bassy in parts, but the buzzsaw guitar is always there, with riffs more akin to those on the death metal disc, while the slower stuff is reminiscent of "Under A Funeral Moon" (To those who've heard the Moonfog Compilation, "Green Cave Float" is VERY indicative of what to expect). Some of the sound quality might be a bit questionable, but hey, Darkthrone never were known for their crisp, clear production.
One of the most notable differences however, is the addition of VERY creepy female singing...whether its sampled or real is unclear, but it does add a very disturbing element to the fray. Check out the spooky fem vox on "Sadomasochistic Rites", and then the chants in the background during "Black Daimon"...shiver!
Also "Goatlord"'s riffing and melodies are also a lot more eerie than both Darkthrone's predeceasing and successive albums. Some of the riffs are downright insane, especially during "In His Lovely Kingdom", and "Black Daimon".
Big disclaimer time.... don't go buying this if you're expecting Immortal, Burzum, Cradle Of Filth, or even Dissection. There's nothing remotely "cool" or "beautiful" about it. Dark, ugly and cold is what's on offer, and Darkthrone never disappoint. "Goatlord" is a must for DT completist, or anyone with a passing interest in the history of black metal.
© 1998 brett