Aachen, a city best known for its Aachener Printen, Charlemagne, and its medieval character, also turns out to be fertile ground for darkness. From this historic town rises the duo Goatkrieg — two men who, since 2024, have carried the torch of Black/Death Metal in the tradition of Blasphemy, but with a distinctly European touch.
Since their formation in 2023, Goatkrieg has hardly been idle. They started out, quite surprisingly, with a compilation — an unconventional move for a band just beginning its path. Yet it immediately set the tone: these two warriors do things their own way, unconcerned with conventions or expectations.
Soon after came two EPs and a split with Brazil’s Satanic Empire, marking their name in the international underground. And now we have their first full-length — or rather, a twenty-minute assault. Calling it an album might be a stretch, but in terms of sheer intensity, Goatkrieg leaves more devastation in those minutes than many bands do in a full hour.
What we get in those twenty minutes is not for the faint of heart. Apart from a brief intro and outro, there’s a barrage of eight tracks plus a cover of the American Black Witchery, delivered with such conviction that it stands shoulder to shoulder with the original.
What follows is pure sonic torture: no pauses, no restraint — just total warfare. Goatkrieg fires its riffs like rifle bursts into the ether, while the drums rattle like a machine gun and the vocals sound like a demon unleashed from a basement in hell.
Production-wise, this sits firmly in the destructive vein of Blasphemy, Revenge, and occasionally a hint of old Beherit— raw, dense, and all-consuming. The wall of sound leaves no space for nuance or breathing room, but that’s exactly what makes it effective. This is music meant to be felt like a punch to the gut, not analyzed with a cool head.
One point of criticism would be the snare drum sound, which at times resembles a broken fan more than an actual drum. Still, this isn’t a record for everyone — but the old diehards who once felt chills from the first Blasphemy recordings will surely appreciate it.
And at this price, you can’t go wrong — it’s available as a free download on their Bandcamp page.
75/100
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