Alas, along comes the simply stated Shiva, and GOATS OF DOOM once again eclipse their not-inconsiderable past works. With a wild abandon that’s addicting, the GOATS here unload one anthem after another, reveling in the magick of The Moment, and keeping the METAL firmly within black metal. Despite its colorful makeover, Shiva is as obsidian as it comes: the melodicism is as medieval as ever, and the GOATS’ unique netherworld of nightsky mysticism and alcohol-fueled anger is thankfully intact. But, perhaps more importantly, the bountiful hooks here raise high the banner of heavy metal, the leads more strident and sometimes even folk-inflected, imparting that melancholy so endemic to the Finnish psyche. And whereas past works were (deliberately) rough around the edges, here on Shiva do GOATS OF DOOM “clean up their act,” so to speak, with an impossibly professional production wholly suited to these seven skyscraping epics: the grit becomes gleam and the gleam gets gritty, each impassioned vocal intonation, string strum, and drum hit feeling momentous and muscular and yet rendered in the clearest tones possible. Above all, GOATS OF DOOM once again display their songwriting mastery, which stays true to their original sound and yet finds ever-newer ways to manifest its majesty.

Country: Finland
Label: Purity Through Fire
Year: 2021
Genre: Black Metal

1. ἀπōκάλυ
2. Uljas uusi maailma
3. Luomiskertomus
4. Armon varjot
5. Korjuu
6. Rotat
7. Shiva

You may listen HERE