GOATS OF DOOM Tie on hänen omilleen [CD]

PURITY THROUGH FIRE is proud to present GOATS OF DOOM's highly anticipated fifth album, /Tie on Hänen Omilleen/, on CD, vinyl LP, and cassette tape formats.

Despite a somewhat misleading moniker, GOATS OF DOOM are 100% black metal through and through, and one of the Finnish underground's best-kept secrets. And yet, compared to the filthy recesses of their native contemporaries, GOATS OF DOOM specialize in a sleek and alluringly melodic sort of black metal - no less aggressive, but with the emphasis on mysticism and melody.

GOATS OF DOOM was founded in 2008 by Scaregod and Inasnum. Three full-lengths eventually followed in 2012, 2015, and 2017 with this lineup; in this iteration, the band was more synth-based black metal, but not strictly "symphonic black metal" by definition. Expanded to a trio for their fourth album, 2018's /Rukous/, GOATS OF DOOM displayed a new face, where the mysterious atmosphere of old was shot through with more surging aggression /and /bewitching melody: in essence, a melodic blizzard, if you will. Expanding their lineup yet again to a full five-piece, fittingly, fifth album /Tie on Hänen Omilleen /sees the band bringing together all their eras while embarking upon yet another new journey.

Very much retaining the characteristically Finnish melancholy of its well-received predecessor, on /Tie on Hänen Omilleen/do GOATS OF DOOM bring forth a more regal touch - never be too saccharine, of course, but with an almost-medieval style of melodicism - that burns with the same icy-hot touch they've made their own these past dozen years. Synths make a subtle return here, as well, but are transposed onto a rougher 'n' raw soundfield, grinding these no-less-melodic ruminations deeply into the dirt. Similarly, more "rocking" tropes also make an entrance here, with the sum total of /Tie on Hänen Omilleen /thus residing in a unique netherworld of nightsky mysticism, alcohol-fueled anger, and a still-perfect balance between grit and gleam, mystery and muscle. Or, simply, once again do these GOATS craft unmistakably Finnish black metal that both defines /and /defies this ever-vibrant scene.