Artist: Goatspear
Country: Canada
Label: Pain Chain Productions
Formats: Cassette Tape
Year: 2026
Goatspear is a relatively new one-man project by the multi-instrumentalist who is also a member of Nefarious Scorn and Pillagery, and performs here under the name The Ripping Sodomizer (as he does with Pillagery). Although Goatspear operates within the same musical territory as Pillagery, ‘Satanic Revenge’ has turned out to be a rather different brand of Bestial Black/Death Metal.
Honestly, much of that feeling of being something “different” comes from the ultimately raw recording quality. I am not entirely sure, but I think The Ripping Sodomizer (TRS) was responsible for this part of the album as well. I don’t know how much experience he has with studio techniques or to what extent this sound was a deliberate choice, but it doesn’t really matter: I think this approach works remarkably well.
Most bands in this specific musical field are aiming for a heavy-as-fuck sound, a totally IQ-shattering caveman-like sound. The fact that Goatspear goes for a full-on rehearsal sound makes it stand out. ‘Unique’ might be a bit of an exaggeration, but in the current day scene there aren’t many bands sounding the same. Yet, underneath the more cosmetic layers of the productional approach you’ll find just about everything that you learned and know about traditional Bestial Black/Death Metal. In these 14 compositions, which together last just under half an hour, the influence of the great standard-bearers is clearly evident. Roughly speaking, this sits somewhere between Black Witchery, Conquerer and good old Blasphemy. Nothing special, you might think. And in a way, you wouldn’t be far off the mark. However, it is above all that delightfully raw production and the wild energy that radiates from it that make ‘Satanic Revenge’ a thoroughly entertaining debut. Perhaps some will, partly because of this, regard it more as a demo than a full-length album, but ultimately, how you view or label it is irrelevant. The music speaks volumes here and will be appreciated by those who are open-minded or accustomed to a bit of ramshackle, no-nonsense thrashing.
