Svart Records have been churning out an interesting collection of bands this year, and you can add another one to the list in the form of Swedish stoner act Goatess. Formerly known as Weekend Beast, Goatess is a four-piece comprised of Niklas (guitar), Findus (bass), Kenta (drums), and Chritus (vocals). These guys play a doomy, sludge ridden style of stoner rock that doesn't dip too far into the Black Sabbath bag of tricks, but does hint at the Birmingham gods as a foundation for their powerful sound. With this style of music, it's all about the riffs, and the beefy thunder created by Niklas & Findus more than hits the spot on crushing, weed encrusted tracks like "Know Your Animal" and "Alpha Omega", with Chritus' nasally high pitched vocals not too far removed from textbook Ozzy. "Ripe" is one of the albums highlights, a barnstormer of a doom/stoner song with some booming riffs and shifting tempo changes galore and sizzling wah-wah guitar solos, while "Full Moon at Noon" picks up the tempo and really delivers on some heavy grooves & atmosphere. The two-part "Oracle" offers up plenty of crushing menace, and the Saint Vitus styled dirge of "King One" really packs a mammoth, doomy punch. However, the rock corker here turns out to be the epic closer "Tentacles of Zen", complete with psychedelic sitar to go along with the neanderthal doom riffing and haunting vocals.
While there's nothing new or groundbreaking going on here, Goatess deliver fuzz-toned goodness in a big way. If you crave lots of huge heavy riffs, lengthy tunes, and alluring vocals, this is as good a place to go to as any.
Track Listing
1. Know Your Animal
2. Alpha Omega
3. Ripe
4. Full Moon at Noon
5. Oracle Pt. 1: The Mist
6. Oracle Pt. 2: The Oracle
7. King One
8. Tentacles of Zen
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