Archgoat Whore of Bethlehem

Tracklist:
1. Invocation
2. Angel of Sodomy
3. Lord of the Void
4. Dawn of the Black Light
5. Luciferian Darkness
6. Desecration
7. Black Crusade
8. Whore of Bethlehem
9. Grand Marshall of the Black Tower
10. Hammer of Satan

Release Date: 2006

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Archgoat return to the black metal world – apparently content to ignore the current state of it – with their long-awaited debut full-length Whore of Bethlehem, having lost none of their original ferocity. It’s as if the band never disbanded and this was released in 1994: while Archgoat have matured their sound slightly, it is barely changed and a natural follow-up to Angelcunt.

The album begins in typical Archgoat style with a 2 minute soundscape – “Invocation” – for an introduction. Angel of Sodomy begins and immediately declares Archgoat’s intentions – to stick to what they do best: playing simplistic yet sinister riffs and eschewing the pretension and commerciality of today’s scene. The album will remind listeners of such forgotten greats as Beherit[L]’s “The Oath of Black Blood”, [L]Blasphemy’s “Fallen Angel of Doom” and Von’s “Satanic Blood”, and creates occasional short passages of ominous atmosphere that could best be likened to the feeling created on Beherit’s “Drawing Down the Moon”.

Really, that is all Whore of Bethlehem is: a hearkening back to the days of old; bestial and perverted black metal that fiercely avoids any semblance of a trend. Doubtlessly this album will polarise opinion: many will hate it for its primitivism and many will love it for the same reason. If you’re a fan of symphonic ‘black metal’ or if you look for overt melody in your music, you’d best stay away from Archgoat altogether. For fans of the Finnish school of raw black that hides behind no bull*** or pretence; this is a great album that will not disappoint.