Review: GOATHORNED – Kvlt of War

Year: 2022
Label: Unpure Records
Rating: 7 / 10

The third recording of the Krywian band was released more than a year ago on Polish Unpure Records very quietly. I found out about the release very late, and one of the reasons for that was that the band members for some reason decided not to mention it. As it turned out later, they (or at least the vocalist) did not like the final version of the sound, and it was decided to leave “Kult of War” behind as quick as possible. I still got myself a tape to share my impressions with the readers of Bagnik Zine (and, of course, to get a rather rare artifact!)

If we talk about the sound, then it really is kind of strange. The release has the status of a demo, but the first demo (2018) and the material on the split with BONEHAMMER (2019) actually sounded better than some albums. And here, the sound is really more demo-like. It is quiet, kinda compressed, and generally a little loose. Guitars growl as they should, but the drums are too "live", which is bad: in the style of War Metal, it is necessary to do at least minimal processing, adding, for example, an echo effect. Won't say anything about the bass, cause I didn't find it, and the vocals are more or less cool, but they float a little in the mix. My overall impression of the sound of "Kvlt of War" is not really negative, as I quite often listen to absolutely nightmarish promos that aren't even close to this demo. But compared to previous releases of GOATHORNED, this is really a big step back. By the way, almost all sound problems can be the result of an unsuccessful transfer of the source material to the tape. Unfortunately, I don't have access to the original files, so it's impossible to verify this.

As for the music, it is at the usual high level. Here, on the contrary, I see a step forward. The demo includes 8 tracks with quite diverse structures, and the dynamics on them are significantly higher than previous releases. As before, the unholy creations of ARCHGOAT and BLACK WITCHERY play the role of the foundation, and an uncomplicated, but strong masonry of the band's own ideas is built on it. Of the interesting moments, I would like to note short D-beat style fragments, guest vocals by Daria from BONEHAMMER, outstanding solos from ex-member of ЗАПОВЕТ and WARTHA,. The drums, by the way, are played by Eugene Ignatau, who until recently was a member of PESTILENTIA. There is nothing more to say here, since this style of music does not require a large number of words. Armageddon and the Apocalypse - the Krywian goat army brings ruin and destruction!

"Kvlt of War" was released on cassettes in 50 copies with a very simple design. I didn't even make a video, since everything can be seen on the photos here. I liked the release, even with all its problems, so I recommend you to purchase it.