This album rocks. Period. Black Goat is a cult-SF-Bay-Area black metal band (trio from the sound of it) who adds quite a technical/thrash edge to grim, vaguely-Darkthrone-ish black metal to create something that really earns the title 6r1m!!!! Songs like "Song of Dead Souls" and "Human Sacrifice" are really quite fresh-sounding - imagine the melodic sense and riff-style of old bay-area thrash, but played at Darkthrone's plodding midpace. The vocals are a hoarse rasp quite similar to Dead (RIP). There are a few quicker numbers too, like "Skull Fucker" and "Frozen", but the song that takes the cake is the band's anthem "The Black Goat" - This one has the most in common with the old-school thrash roots of the band.

Overall, this album is great, if too short. It was recorded live (!) on KDVS, but the live glitches, missed beats, etc., are at an absolute minimum - this band is tight! The packaging is a plus too - all black and nothing but a track listing, someone's indiscernible picture and the contact info for Extreme Subterranea (the 'label' who is distributing this CD). Be aware that it's a CDR, but it's cheap and fucking killer, a must for anyone into newer raw black or older-style thrash.

© 1999 lord vic