Every person who constantly searches for new material and new talent to listen to, there’s always a greater number of albums turned down than what we actually enjoy. I’m very guilty of this and it’s very prevalent with black metal, but particularly with the larger bands. Goatwhore has always been one of those bands that I’ve tried to get into, but to no avail for no specific reason other than they simply never really caught my fancy. So going into their new record I felt I already knew the outcome, but what I got was a very pleasant surprise.
By no means whatsoever did the upcoming piece of “Vengeful Ascension” blow me away by any standard, but that doesn’t take away from the simple fact that Goatwhore did a rock solid job with this record. The whole of it really brings forth what it means to be a blackened thrash group as every single moment of “Vengeful Ascension” is overflowing with speed, aggression, and a raw fury that simply cannot be taken sitting down. Goatwhore pulled no punches for this album as you can feel the power in the beats, you can feel the adrenaline kicking in as the vocals chant their evil hymns, and you’re all but compelled to headbang to the immeasurable speed that’s brought by the strings; it all comes together to create the sound of a very polished blackened thrash album that many strive for. Riffs peppered throughout the record help keep you interested in “Vengeful Ascension”, but I personally felt like it could’ve used a bit more so that you get a more dynamic listening experience that always compels you to focus in on the music without losing your interest every so often, even if it still manages to draw you back in. And while that’s a factor that does bring down the quality of the album, in my opinion, it’s very slight and in the end, Goatwhore still did a bang up job with what they’ve created.
It typically takes quite an interesting album from a band that I normally don’t enjoy for me to become curious about the band in question, and that’s what I’d have to consider “Vengeful Ascension” by its end: interesting. It’s multi-faceted to a degree and has just enough variety, raw intensity, and talent to keep you interested, but don’t come in expecting Goatwhore to completely wipe their slate clean and create something mind-boggling.
“Vengeful Ascension” releases on June 23rd via Metal Blade Records!
PRE-ORDER “Vengeful Ascension” via iTunes here.
LISTEN to 3 advanced tracks from “Vengeful Ascension” on Bandcamp here.
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