ALBUM REVIEW: Goathammer – Ceremony Of Morbid Destruction

Here I review another Hells Headbangers release, which is due out in December. This time the debut album from Goathammer!

1. Arcane Destruction Spell comes straight in with feedback, whammy noise and gruesome snarls, setting an evil and barbaric atmosphere that I am sure will be kept with full strength throughout the release. The gorgeous, rich and sheerly bleak riffs drop in with insane drums and a huge old school vibe that marches and storms along beautifully. There is a super 90s lo-fi Black Metal vibe with some crushing songwriting and miserably melancholic vocals, the atmosphere is incredibly stunning with such a dark feel. The chaotic and frenzied War Metal assaults soon begin with a nice mixed vocal attack and primitively brilliant riffs, the drums absolute kill on this too. The solo was an awesome frantic fretboard slaying shred which worked really nicely with the intense whammy use. A hammering assault on the senses and a great way to begin the album!
2. Invoking The Sadistic Spirits follows up with some nice upbeat grooves that descend into devastating aggression and also show a more melodic side to the band from the riffs, while still remaining primal there is some epic atmospherics used. The vocals on this piece are absolutely killer with such a raw attack to them. The drums are incredible and the riffs brilliant too. This song absolutely rips through sections completely decimating with their brand of extreme morbidity. There is absolutely no doubt within the music, just an all out ferocious piece, excellent. I really liked the tapped solo, it elevated the pace nicely and added some well needed melody without taking anything from the monolithic violence of this music. This is another really strong track, setting my hopes high for the rest.
3. Into The Endless Night opens with samples and clean guitars, they sound so damn creepy and really were not an expected thing I foresaw. The hideous vocals over them are awesome and this really sets a gnarly mood while the lead guitars creep beautifully into existence. The melodic side is short lived though, hammering and crashing the drums with menacingly grinding riffs and howled maniacal vocals. This is some truly barbaric excellence and I mean that in a most positive manner. I really enjoyed this track, there was a certainly emotive feel to it while keeping in check with the absolutely destructive sounds of its predecessors.
4. Perverted Blasphemy brings us in with more total ferocity and unrivalled aggression, purely grinding through menacing riffs with consistently battering drums and gruesome vocals. This crushing soundscape has been so strong and unrelenting that you are really immersed in the music while not for its huge atmospherics or musicianship, more for the intensely damning sounds they create with such a certain reliability and it is certainly done excellently. This song offers a hate fuelled trip to hell, much like the others, but with added groove. The bleaker sections were gorgeously sombre and really built up stunning atmospheres. Absolutely killer!
5. Astral Crucifixion starts off with a really nice yet abrupt build in that descends into chaotic perfection. The pummelling attack of the instrumentals work in unison to lay glorious foundations for the gut wrenching vocal attacks that befall us so elegantly and with so much raw disdain. This is some truly ferocious music, while listening to this I know it will never have mass appeal, but to those of us who appreciate this hellish art, it is damn wonderful. The riffs are actually pretty catchy which gives it a nice familiarity while everything being relatively original. The guitar solos were a cool addition once more adding some melody but in a way that still feels manic. The more Black n Roll upbeat sections are truly in your face while there are some much more melancholic parts that are gorgeously emotional to listen to. This song has it all and is for me the strongest and most enjoyable on the album. There is diversity, it is immersive and just beuaituflny written/played. Absolutely incredible.
6. Right Of Conquest storms in with regained ferocity and pure hatred. The riffs are absolutely decimating, the drums as epic as they have been throughout and the vocals utterly grotesque. The upbeat frenzy of the song absolutely shreds you apart as you listen to the chaotic grinding of the Black Metal assaults. There is such an awesome cathartic feel to this music and the band play it with so much skill and passion, loved this piece. There is also a nice touch of dissonance to the song that really made it the bit more uncomfortable but balanced nicely with the groove of things. Once more the solo was some nice frenzied chaos, awesome. A fantastic song!
7. Sempiternal Holocaust draws in one final round of blasphemy and chaos. The menacing riffs bring things into fruition beautifully before the whole mix drives layers of depravity and macabre instrumentals that are met with snarls of pure contempt. This is hideous, in the most enjoyable, glorious way. Furious assaults shred away any remaining doubts one may have in the strength of the music, while I had none from the beginning, I mean this to symbolise how their pretty unique and more skilled take on the genre allows them to really delve into maddening chaos in a more approachable way. This was a great track to finish the album with a slightly more traditional feel, maybe a better one for people who have never heard this type of music to check out before the harsher ones. Awesome piece, all the same and a great way to finish the album, featuring some stunning atmospherics!

For many the whole “War Metal” style of Blackened Death Metal can very hit and miss for its incredibly intense, raw and primitive approach to the genre. I personally really enjoy a lot of the bands and this is another great addition. The music is so damn aggressive and primal but also well played and structured. Certainly worth checking out if you love your Metal ridiculously extreme. -7.5/10