Unfortunately, this album was something of a letdown. The band did not truly alter its sound in any way. The album is very much in line with Goatwhore's releases that came before it. The problem is that this particular album sounds a little phoned in. It is too similar to the stuff that came before it, without much growth, and certainly without anything that stands out and demands attention.
The first track is something of a plodding crawl, at least as far as Goatwhore is concerned. It is a somewhat slower track and not the most dynamic of openers. Several of the following songs were more mid-paced and tended to blend together a bit. A lot of the breakneck speed from earlier albums has been replaced with more of a rumbling groove. Not to suggest that Goatwhore is suddenly trying to become Pantera, but they were always at their best when they were thrashing all around. This is much more relaxed. That is simply not something I am used to from Goatwhore. "Mankind Will Have No Mercy" is probably the closest thing to the the sound I would expect from Goatwhore.
There is nothing really bad here. All of the elements that one would expect from a Goatwhore album are present. From Ben Falgoust's demonic vocals to Sammy Duet's Motorhead-inspired riffing to Zack Simmons's insane drumming, the band is every bit as talented and crushing as ever. Unfortunately, they seem to have mostly become complacent in their songwriting. Every band has a misstep, hopefully this is just that, and the band will return to the fire and fury of their earlier works next time around.
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