Black Goat – Demogorgon – The Inmost Darkness Itself

Black Goat is a tried-and-true Second Wave Black Metal, originally having their inception back in 1999 where they released their self-titled EP. They then went into hiatus for the better part of a decade before rebanding in 2006. After this their musical career seems to really be taking of for indisclosed reasons – But evident through the ever-increasing amount of Demos and EP’s that they release from this point onwards. Soon after would follow the release of several Full-length releases, the first of which a full seventeen years after the bands founding. And this year, the release of Demogorgon – The Inmost Darkness Itself marks the fifth of such fully fledged albums. 

Containing nine tracks in total (if you, like me, count the short instrumental intro) and spanning just above thirty-six minutes of playtime, the three Russians have managed to perfectly recapture and release the essence of what I have always loved about the genre: The gritty vocals, simple, yet powerful guitar riffs (which, rarely seen, are left undistorted on this record) and the pounding of the drums all merging together into a chaotic, angry rant about the imminent nuclear destruction of mankind as well as the glory that is to be found within the tenent of theistic satanism. It is fast, it is dirty and it is unforgiving, with an eastern european twist that I find work well both in addition to the overall sound but as a clear marker for me to recognize the band by. 

Albeit, if fair is to be fair, I suppose it would hardly qualify as ‘recapturing’ the approach and sound of a genres specific era if you were a part of it at the time, helping to shape and define the mould from which it was cast. Nevertheless, I will acknowledge my appreciation for any band still keeping the old genres alive and kicking in this modern day and age – “From Beyond” in particular was a track that caught my eye (or ears, as the case may be), the fourth track present on the album, due to the overall themes of something beyond human understanding rising to the forefront and essentially corrupting and mercilessly killing off mankind through nuclear annihilation, which brings both an almost Lovecraftian feel to their performance (something which I will always be a fan) as well as reawakening fond memories of discovering Norwegian genre-kinsmen 1349 for the first time – the track “When I Was Flesh” to be precise, to which the overall sound of this record positively reminds me of. 

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