Goatcraft (Slovakia) - Oletheros (2016)

Slovakian black/death act Goatcraft sounds like the kind of act you might hear in a fucking cave. But not the kind of cave that you would want to go into either. This is the kind of ominous sound that feels like it was literally composed in the dark recesses of the underworld itself. I'm hearing a lot of thrash in the death metal here, but that's fine as it shows the band's roots. There's in essence a very classic sound afoot here, which comes mixed in with short atmospheric clips that you might not expect to be found on such a record. But don't worry, just because they're using sound effects doesn't mean that you're getting something that sounds polished and pretty. As I said, and will reiterate – Goatcraft sounds like they recorded inside of a CAVE in the DEEP recesses of the UNDERWORLD. Sometimes the sound is so cavernous that I can barely hear Vrana's solos, but that's alright as the record really doesn't have that many lengthy cuts on it, in which to really explore their craft. “Temples Of The Underworld” and “Invocation Of Death” are both close to five minutes each, but the rest of the tracks here are only a little more than a minute and go in and out with a flash. But, you have to keep in mind that Goatcraft do two things – they create blistering old school metal, and they make atmospheres that will make the hair stand up on the back of your neck. Don't believe me? Just give the record a bit of a listen and you'll see the decidedly creepy pieces sandwiched in here. I will make on complaint though, which is that the record does somehow still manage to elicit a few of those whiny howls I hate so much and find unnecessary. But they're used so sparingly that I don't really care to make that complaint a major deciding factor in the album's score. D is pretty much responsible for everything here, including the vocals, bass, drums and even some guitar licks of his own. If we yank out all of the little atmospheres here, we'll have about four or five tracks and fifteen minutes of metal. But we'll also have a rather bland disc without the level of experimentation that D brings to this act. Just because it's supposed to sound like it's recorded in a cave doesn't mean that it has to be fucking bland as well. All in all, they're a pretty promising group of cave-dwelling demons, and I think you'll be pleased with this one. (The Grim Lord)

3.5/5