The pulverising duo that is Goatburner is back with something very nasty!
Formed in 2017 and featuring Keijo Niinimaa (Rotten Sound, Morbid Evils, Age Of Woe) and Jaakko Forsman (Ratface, Skulmagot). Together mixing the swampy death metal of Autopsy with the breakneck buzzsaw guitar of early Entombed. Now put that sound in a vat of acid with dismembered body parts & you have Goatburner.
Now returning with their sophomore album & heaviest material to date “Fatal” is a forty minute slice of punishment. The groups last album 2019’s “Extreme Conditions” was a stellar release but sonically was held back slightly but the rough production. I can safely say that “Fatal” is a huge step up in the recording of the band & allows the group to showcase just how heavy they can be.
Opener “Danger!” starts the anxiety from the second one. Sirens blaring & ominous sounds echo before the band unleashes. A wall of feedback before a churning riff kicks in. Forsman’s very raw & simple drums follow. Keeping the beat fast & punitive. A quick but straight to the point opener.
Follow up “Pool of Blood” feels like its title. A drone like guitar that repeats giving an eerie like quality. Making the listener feel like they’ve been pushed to the floor & buckets of blood are being poured onto them.
The dynamic vocal range Niinimaa uses really plays well with the band’s sound. Guttural vocals can quickly change to high pitch cries, which mirror the chaotic moments the guitar might be playing. Giving a great all over texture & making the band that more brutal sounding.
Sounding like a snuff film soundtrack “Lobotomized” opens with a hefty doom soaked riff that slowly builds anticipation. When Forsman comes in with the drums it just broadens the track more & creates a great slow & stomping track. As the track comes to its midpoint the band put their foot down on the gas & speed things up. Creating some great tension & release.
Closer “Dismemberment”, the longest track on the album, is a pure sonic assault. Opening at blistering speed, a thrashy grinding track even with a little d-beat running through it, a pure rage filled track. But like on other album tracks you can’t take Goatburner at face value. As the track builds they slow things down in the most satisfying way.
Introducing another groove heavy riff that will for sure have you headbanging the last half of the track is a pure fuzzed out death doom in the vein of early Bloodbath or Autopsy.
Goatburner has something really special here. Melding different sounds & genres to create something fresh & new. They have been doing it for some time but “Fatal” feels like they have been able to really showcase just how gruelling & heavy the band’s true sound is. Merging super fast elements with the ultra slow moments really creates a fantastic & much needed sound in the death metal world.
Review: Joseph Mitchell
Finnish noisemongers GOATBURNER will release their new album “Fatal” on October 6th 2023 via Time To Kill Records. Today, the band have shared a new single, “Blender Bender”, from the forthcoming album. Listen to the song at THIS LOCATION. GOATBURNER, formed in 2017 and featuring Keijo Niinimaa (ROTTEN SOUND, MORBID EVILS, AGE OF WOE) and Jaakko Forsman (RATFACE, SKULMAGOT), create a caustic atmosphere somewhere between massive sludge and frantic high-speed thrashing. GOATBURNER is mostly inspired by their own music (also written for the other groups the members are or have been in) over the years, but sources of inspiration can ben found in the old school death metal scene and bands like Autopsy, Bolt Thrower, Entombed, Carcass, Cannibal Corpse and Demigod.
Album tracklist: 01. Danger! Pre-orders: https://goatburner– https://timetokillrecords.com/ Line-up: Spider (Jaakko Forsman) – drums Ripping groovy old school death metal with a twist of sludge and grind, from Helsinki, Finland. GOATBURNER has been doing their duo-based wall of sound and blasting since 2017, including numerous festivals and tours. The band is already releasing their 2nd full length album “Fatal” on October 6th 2023. Discography includes the “Time to Burn” EP from 2018, the “Extreme Conditions” LP from 2019 and the “Danger” EP from 2022. GOATBURNER hits the stages as a duo, with Kaos plugged into extensive string gear and Spider often in front row with the kit for percussive mayhem. Audiences are constantly dropping their jaws in front of this dynamic duo, wondering if there are any other musicians behind the stage – which isn’t the case obviously. With more than 50 years of musicianship and over 10 bands under their belt, GOATBURNER is an unstoppable force that will constantly continue taking over new stages around the world. https://goatburner.bandcamp. https://www.facebook.com/ https://www.instagram.com/ Time To Kill Records https://timetokillrecords. https://www.instagram.com/ |
