![goat semen – fuck christ [ep]](https://www.vm-underground.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Goat-Semen-–-Fuck-Christ-EP-cover.jpg "Goat Semen – Fuck Christ [EP]")
Info
- Band(s): Goat Semen
- Label(s): Hells Headbangers Records
- Release Format(s): 12" vinyl, Cassette, CD, EP
- Release Year: 2024
- Review Date: December 25, 2024
- Author(s): FelixS
When it comes to Latin American Extreme Metal there are obviously a lot of bands that laid down the foundations of the continent’s ever-thriving metal scene and subsequently have paved the way for a world wide recognition and appreciation. Most notably, of course, are the early works of Sarcófago, Sepultura and Krisiun. Although Peruvian Goat Semen was already founded in 2000, they spearheaded what could be called the Second Wave of Latin American Extreme Metal. Especially the band’s first few recordings gained them a certain cult status. In particular their self-titled demo tape from 2003, the split release with fellow Peruvians Anal Vomit and the ‘En Vivo En Lima Hell’-live record were flawless examples of the wild-at-heart extreme South American metal of the 00’s.
Yet, after what seemed like an endless stream of split releases and other trinkets, the wait was for a full-length album. For fans, however, this was a rather long wait, ‘Ego Svm Satana’ didn’t see the light of day before 2015, over fifteen years after the band’s initial inception. The Hells Headbangers Records-released album served us with exactly what we were expecting, a savage and chaos-ridden 40-minute ride through the world of Black/Death Metal. Some of the lukewarm reactions on the album mentioned the lack of adventurism or dull one-dimensionalism – one wonders whether it would not be better to stick to the safer stables of Century Media and Nuclear Blast then. Luck for us, Goat Semen stuck to their plan: another 10-year wait that was again only interrupted by a number of split releases and live albums. But here it is, a new Goat Semen record.
Although, ‘Fuck Christ’ is an 18-minute EP. But it is well worth our attention. In those 18 minutes, we are presented with five songs that can unquestionably and proudly bear the Goat Semen name. Mercilessly, we are again confronted with the musical violence of the Peruvians. Although we are some ten years on again, the band has lost nothing of their intensity and their mixture of barbaric Black Metal and Death Metal brutality is as appealing as ever. Just listen, for instance, to the opening riffs of ‘Los Ojos De Judas’, which show a near-perfect balancing act between the two genres, making it the musical embodiment of what Extreme Latin American Metal stands for.
But in fairness, although all the musical ingredients and building blocks are still in place, not everyone would be able to blindly guess that this is Goat Semen. The thunderous pace, the never-ending machine-gun drums, the histrionic leads and ditto vocals: it’s all present again. But the biggest change, and this is where the crux lies, is the overarching sound. The dark and suffocating production of the bulk of the previous releases, raw and primitive, has been exchanged for a much brighter and cleaner-sounding one. While this also seems to work fine for Goat Semen, it takes some getting used to. For me personally, it does sacrifice some of the atmosphere of the music that defined much of the Goat Semen sound, but it does give new space for mainly the guitars. This way, those aforementioned wild leads come out a bit better and the band moves a bit more towards the sound that typifies a band like Angelcorpse.
Pleased with a new sign of life, but at the same time giving the band something to think about. But however you slice it, Goat Semen show on ‘Fuck Christ’ that they have no intention of compromising on their musical intensity and ferocious aesthetics.
Goat Semen
- Country: Peru
- Style: Death Metal, Black Metal
- Links: Facebook, Instagram, Bandcamp, Spotify, Youtube
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Hells Headbangers Records
- Country: USA
- Style: Black Metal, Death Metal, Thrash Metal, Other
- Links: Homepage, Facebook, Instagram, Bandcamp, Youtube
