On the 25th day of the 12th month of 2012, the Six-Tongued Hellgoat was summoned to arise from the ashes and bring darkness to this place called POPdose. Join him in his quest.
The Hellgoat must take the time to thank Jacob Lee and his project Skull Incision for creating a theme song for him. It’s the first time the Hellgoat has ever had a song written about him and he’s frothing at the mouth to let you hear. As you read, listen to “(Love Theme) from the Six Tongued Hellgoat”
Ritual Thrust into the Profane Maw of Churning Filth
Album: Satanic Threat, In To Hell
Label: Hells Headbangers
Release: March 19, 2013
Genre: Hardcore/Punk
Rating: 9/10
Yes, the Hellgoat is giving the feature position to yet another non-metal band in a series about metal. You may argue with him but remember, he’s the one with face melting saliva.
The Hellgoat is crazy about this record and that’s good enough reason for him to feature it. It’s basically because Satanic Threat features members of Nunslaughter and Midnight, two of his favorite bands. As far as he can tell, this pit of fire is manned by current Nunslaughter guitarist of the month, Shawn (aka The Deserter), Jim (aka Jim Sadist) on drums and Don (aka Don of the Dead) on vocals.
They formed in 2008 and released In To Hell then, an eight track blistering romp that clocks in around 11 minutes. They played only one show in their meeting place of Cleveland, Ohio that same year but recorded it for prosperity. And now it shows up here!
The original printing was 1000 copies and sold out quickly, so Hells Headbangers is re-releasing it with the eight track live show (strangely enough, the first track from the actual record is not one of the eight – the other seven are, in order). As a Nunslaughter collector, the Goat has been waiting for this record for quite a while now, even though it sounds nothing like either of the bands these guys come from.
If you couldn’t tell from the moniker, you can expect a sound like Minor Threat (and that 8th track is actually a cover of Minor Threat’s “Steppin’ Stone”). Jim Sadist is one of the most versatile drummers in the game and Don of the Dead sounds nothing like he does in Nunslaughter.
The key part of this re-issue are the live tracks which is where the band shines. Listen to any part of the Nunslaughter live catalog and the first thing you notice is the chemistry between Jim and Don and that’s present on this record as well. They clearly know how to command a stage and their energy can be felt on every recording.
In To Hell is worth picking up not only if you are a punk fan or a Nunslaughter collector but really if you just like music that’s going to kick your ass.
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Somnolent Regurgitation of the Scrolls of Proselytism
(The Hellgoat wishes to convert you to the ways of the metal. But he prefers to let the press release and bio do most of the talking on these nefarious black circles.)
Album: Head of the Demon, Head of the Demon
Label: The Ajna Offensive
Release: January 22, 2013
Genre: Black Metal
Press: A mysterious Swedish entity comprising nameless members from known bands, Head of the Demon’s Head of the Demon debut is a sepulchral, doom-laden slab of occult black/death metal that’s Lovecraftian in intent and aims for the abyss.
The Hellgoat’s Take, 8/10: The Hellgoat can never tell is shitty production is intentional or not on black metal records. At first it kind of threw him off his game but after the third listen, he started to realize that it was probably the only way to get the old school sound these guys wanted. Dark, slow and evil, this harkens back to the days when black metal wasn’t terribly complex and recreates the classic feel quite well.
Album: Kingcrow, In Crescendo
Label: Sensory Records
Release: February 12, 2013
Genre: Progressive Metal
Press: While working in a mostly progressive metal direction in the earlier days, Kingcrow has increasingly expanded the scope of their sound to encompass elements of rock, nowadays rounded-out in a culmination of strong atmospheric component similar to Riverside, Porcupine Tree and Pink Floyd but also bearing a heavier, metallic semblance to Opeth and Dream Theater. This is boldly present on the band’s fifth studio full-length, In Crescendo, the new album encompassing nearly an hour over eight epic movements. Produced by the band’s own Diego and Thundra Cafolla at Sound Under Pressure in Rome, the massive album was then mixed by Giampiero Ulacco and mastered by Alan Douches at West West Side Music.
The Hellgoat’s Take, 7/10: They forgot Queensryche. That’s who the Hellgoat keeps hearing, even though this would be the best Queensryche record in nearly two decades. The Dream Theater comparison certainly works as well.
Album: Shakra, PowerPlay
Label: AFM
Release: January 29, 2013
Genre: Hard Rock
Press: Even after 20 years of band history, the original band members Thom Blunier (guitar), Thomas Muster (guitar), and Roger Tanner (drums), but also the band’s two young guns, Dominik Pfister (bass) and most particularly singer John Prakesh, have grown together over the years to build a unit that has just one overriding goal: to make good, honest, hand-made hard rock. While Sharka had to deal with a few line-up changes over the years, the five-man band now at last has the time to focus completely on what it does best: rock’n’roll. The result is Blunier, Muster, Tanner, Pfister, and Prakesh’s Powerplay, an album that is utterly irresistible.
The Hellgoat’s Take, 8/10: The Hellgoat hates himself for liking this silly radio ready cheesiness. But he liked their previous record and likes this one as well. Just like all of Shakra’s records, this plays off every hard rock cliche in the book and honestly should be all over rock radio by this point. Shakra simply make irresistible fun tunes.
Album: Vreid, Welcome Farewell
Label: Indie Recordings
Release: March 5, 2013
Genre: Melodic Black Metal
Press: Described by Metal Hammer UK as a ”unique time-travel in metal,” commending their merge of 70s rock, 80s classic metal and Norwegian black metal, with the eight-track Welcome Farewell Vreid again add a new twist to their already difficult-to-pinpoint sound. Comments HvÁ¡ll of the new material, ”It’s been a lot of work, but we are utterly pleased with the result. Dark,’ heavy’ and Vreid’ are the three keywords to describe it.”
The Hellgoat’s Take, 6/10: It’s probably not fair for the Hellgoat to review the new record from historically loved Vreid, as he has just never really understood them like others have. Welcome Farewell is a weird combo of rock riffs and black metal that gets the Hellgoat all tongue twisted. Trust your own instincts on this one if you like the band. If you like what the Hellgoat is into, well, there you go.
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