Goathammer: Ceremony of Morbid Destruction (2018)

Goathammer is not a band I was familiar with until receiving this release as a freebie when I placed an order for a box set that will be reviewed shortly.  Goathammer is a Canadian band (Saskatchewan) who has been around for less than ten years.  This is their first full-length after a number of demos and splits.

Well, what the hell do you think a band named Goathammer is going to sound like?  This is blistering blackened death metal with ugly, hateful riffs, rumbling drums and raspy, roared vocals.  There is a significant Mayhem influence, to the point that opening track "Arcane Destruction Spell" sounds like it would have fit well on De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas.  Other points of reference include Inquisition, with their esoteric, evil lyrics and infusion of death metal elements to their Mayhem-worship. 

This is a rather short release, but it contains all of the hallmarks of a good blackened death metal album, all of the brutality and evil alike.  It does not really do a lot to stand out from the pack in a way that stays with the listener, but it is a rather intense listen while it is playing.