Norway, the land of the beautiful landscapes and equally stunning metal. Norway will forever be remembered as the country that has brought us the well-thought out piercing beauty of bands like Ulver, Enslaved, Manes, In The Woods…, Arcturus, Ved Buens Ende, Satyricon and Borknagar. Yet, something completely different is festering in the darkest of Norwegian sewers and this entity just came out with their second effort on Iron Bonehead Productions. Goatkraft’s new full-length, ‘Prophet Of Eternal Damnation’ denies and rejects anything that could be reminiscent of the band’s home turf.
The cover of ‘Prophet Of Eternal Damnation’ could easily be of a forgotten and never before released Proclamation album and, frankly, the music on offer is just straight in line with the Spanish cult band. It is so close that it could indeed be mistaken for the Spaniard’s never appeared fifth album. The Norwegian trio pummels their way through nine songs in under 30 minutes, swinging their chainsaw guitars and screaming leads, caveman drums and those trademark vocals. Anyone who has a weak spot for bands like Revenge, Black Witchery, Witchcraft or Blasphemy and the likes will get their kicks out of the frantic, brutal savagery that they will be treated with. None of what is offered can even vaguely be labeled original or remotely progressive, it is clear that Goatkraft is simply here to honor the greats of the genre, and they do so more than convincingly.
I am aware that to the average outsider this will sound like the most blatant nonsense, but to the well-versed, this second album is a substantial step up when compared to the debut. The main difference from the band’s first born, 2019’s ‘Sulphurous Northern Bestiality’ (Iron Bonehead Productions) is that the first offering had a distinctively more Black Metal oriented sound, shriller in tone and therefore less overwhelming, albeit having a nice rumbling bass guitar. ‘Prophet Of Eternal Damnation’ on the other hand has it all, the aforementioned instrumental heaviness, but the overall powerful, thundering sound is really the icing on the cake. The debut might have had a bit more of an original sound, but, at least to me, seamlessly and shamelessly following the trademark genre rules sound so much more convincing. Yes, it is the strong and persuasive authenticity that is key on Goatkraft’s sophomore album.
