ARCHGOAT - The Luciferian Crown

Released September 14/18 (Debemur Morti Productions)

Having been in existence off and on since 1991 and armed with a dizzying array of EPs and splits, The Luciferian Crown represents the fourth full length from black/death enthusiasts Archgoat. That said, this is the first exposure to the band for this battle-weary reviewer.

Very much in the war metal vein of Revenge, Black Witchery and Conqueror, Archgoat specialize in pulverizing bouts of down-tuned speed and ultra-heavy doom passages creating an impressive wall-of-sound that will appease the most extreme of metal fans. Lord Angelslayer's frog-swallowing-burps-for-vocals also work surprisingly well here, adding a grimy feel to proceedings. The addition of some intermittent background keyboard sound effects are also a nice touch, providing a little bit of diversity to a sub-genre that usually insists on maximum crush exclusively.

That all said, what really stands out about The Luciferian Crown is the level of sustained intensity (rivaling Morbosidad's Corona de Epidemia from earlier this year), along with how well written and performed the tracks are. Hell, it even enticed this jaded reviewer into some serious air-drumming while listening along! Very, very impressive uber-underground stuff here.

[8.5]