Release Date: December 06th 2024. Record Label: Self Released. Formats: DD
Goatslayer - Track Listing:
1.A Perfect Place for Death 04:54
2.Death Comes Rolling 04:14
3.Burning Underground 04:30
4.A.I.G.O.D. 07:19
Members
Angel Rot (bass)
Mike Rot (guitar)
Thomas Stanfel (drums)
Travis Lee Overcash (vocals)
Review
Goatslayer is the second EP from Sludge/Stoner Metallers FIREBLOOD that continues their harsh, grimy and gloomy journey of obsessive distorted grooves first heard on their previous EP Hellalujah. The EP cover is quite deceptive in thinking they are a Death Metal band but they’re anything but. As FIREBLOOD play similar sounds to bands such as High On Fire, Mastodon and Neurosis with a subtle grunge influence heard within the vocals and harsh lyrics that accompanies the excellent sludgy sounds the band conjure up throughout the four tracks on the EP.
The opening track A Perfect Place For Death captures the underground obsessive Sludge Metal sound perfectly with a harsh distorted energy that reminds me of what Relapse Records used to release continuously about a decade or so ago. The vocals are clean but brutally harsh at times with the music having a sinister Progressive distorted energy to them.
Second track Death Comes Rolling has a more Hardcore and Metallic energy to it with a classic 90’s Grunge attitude which is perhaps more nihilistic thanks to FIREBLOOD’s ongoing use of fast-paced aggressive Thrash Metal guitars. The constant back and forth of DOOM & GLOOM melodies is quite obsessive at times but allows FIREBLOOD to create their own thrilling blend of music at times.
Burning Underground adds a grimy apocalyptic tone that High On Fire used to play with wild creative authority back in the day with Burning Underground being the heaviest track on the whole record. The sound is quite slow paced with a menacing purpose coming from FIREBLOOD where they hint that a more extreme sound can break out at any second. However, the whole track is consistently more in line with a Blackened Sludge sound with moments of distorted paranoia being added for a truly superb constructed track.
The final track A.I.G.O.D. is the longest track on the album with FIREBLOOD playing a heavier and lengthier progressive sound which draws in many other areas of Doom, Sludge and Stoner Metal. The song does take time to fully find it’s groove but once that happens, the band puts in a commanding performance where the EP becomes quite riff-obsessive that demands your full attention.
Overall, Goatslayer is an expertly produced EP with FIREBLOOD putting in a highly convincing and brutally commanding performance throughout which should establish them as future stars of the scene if they keep releasing great EP’s such as this.
Words by Steve Howe
Links
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