Goatess - Goatess
GOATESS - Goatess (Svart Records, 2013)
Goatess is the newest band of Chritus. Doom fans already know him as the vocalist on the first two Count Raven albums, from the “C.O.D.” album of Saint Vitus, or as the singer of Lord Vicar. Some of the underground people consider “C.O.D.” the weakest or the only weak album of Saint Vitus, which I don’t agree. The best ever singer of Saint Vitus was Scott Reagers of course, still people prefer the Wino-era, which is classic again of course, but I like a lot also Children of Doom with Chritus.
Yes, he is not the biggest metal singer, not even amongst the best doom vocalists, let’s say I support this guy.
GOATESS, what a fucking good name for a doom metal band, right? The cover depicts a newborn devil baby with the vintage typed band logo. BLACK SABBATH and hundreds after, or before? done this already, only this time the baby is sucking his tongue, being more humanesque or humoresque?
I expected something really traditional doom metal in the Chritus-way, and I was surprised this is a more updated dirty version of doom. The guitars are rather muddy and sludgy than heavy metal influenced. No epic doom here. Down-tuned notes, well-written but extended heavy sludge/doom riffs, more like something I would expect from an American band. Also the drums are nothing traditional doom, more rugged and discursive, laid back, then building-in, then hit you with animosity when a power chord is played. More sludgy!
Chritus’ singing is less epic then on Lord Vicar, and totally-not mournful like on early Count Raven, his voice just complements the instruments, but never rises up, no choruses to hit you, only hypnotic slow vocals melted in this swampy boiling reservoir.
The heavy bass-drums section accompanied by the heavy, low and muddy guitars makes me point to SLEEP and ELECTRIC WIZARD, only less dark then the last one mentioned with bits of spacey elements in the mix. And huge amounts of Orange amplifiers bringing the well-known “wall of sound”.
All tracks are long and slow tracks, only “Full Moon at Noon” is somewhat mid-tempo. The title tells it all. “Full Moon at Noon”. Sitting in the desert, or sitting in swampy Louisiana, smoking a big joint and seeing a Full Moon at Noon! DOWN – “Nola” also comes to my mind a lot listening to this track.
“Oracle Pt. 1” sinks more into the void, hypnotic guitars, heavy atmosphere and weighty drums and percussions.
The most ELECTRIC WIZARD-esque track is the last one “Tentacles of Zen” which starts with movie cut-outs from supposedly vintage flicks (another point for the EW influence). “Copulate on a cosmic scale!” says a voice, then the low-tuned riffs come in, just to flow later into another hypnotic space jam with some effective Middle-Eastern music influence, I think I heard some sitar playing also.
Not bad, not bad, but do we need this? Something is missing, or only I miss some smoke?
7 / 10
Written by Rob
March 2014
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