Archgoat – “All Christianity Ends” (Debemur Morti Productions, 2022)

Within the universe of Heavy Metal, a faction of its followers is in favor of evolution, of experimentation, of risking it for the sake of Art; another faction is a bit more… traditional (I dare say, in some case, fundamentalist…) regarding the way Artists approach Music and its boundaries. I am a bit of both. My reference for Black Metal is Darkthrone’s unholy trinity. Never have I ignored what came before, nor will I ever ignore whatever comes after those magnificent pieces of Dark Arts! However, one thing is certain: those 3 records are, undeniably, a blueprint of what Black Metal should sound (to my ears, at least). But does that mean that I want my mates, Fenriz and Nocturno, to keep on riffing like they did back in the day? No way. I did love the more Punkish records; I truly enjoy the slightly Doom / Heavy Metal approach they took with their more recent ones. They keep their Black Metal basis and work on from there. Some might say they have very little of Black Metal, these days, but I tell them to bugger off! Darkthrone is a bloody institution and are allowed to do whatever they feel like doing. People forget they did “Panzerfaust” and “Goatlord”, and this was after the above-mentioned albums.

With that being said… Archgoat’s most recent release, “All Christianity Ends” gives us exactly what we need from the Finnish destruction squad: heretic violence and blood splatter all over the altar. in short, Archgoat is a constant war on Christ and the Catholic Church, translated into Art (music and visuals, of course). It is hard for me not to enjoy a new release from them, and a bit like Impiety, we know what to expect, but we tend to enjoy it a lot, for it reminds us of what they did in the Past, and we enjoyed that as well. Does this mean that their Music is simple, lacking originality and quality? No, no, no! Archgoat is one of those bands that has established themselves with a specific sound and has mastered that sound. There is no evolution in their sound, no insane experimentation, no! they keep it real… and “Archgoaty”. Weird? No. Under 20 minutes we are bombarded with a perfectly executed blend of Black Metal and Death Metal, in a harmonious way. I do find them more melodic this time, and some people might find this to be incorrect, and that they did, in fact, return to their older self: visceral, raw, brutal… The violent side of the trio is there, but they have slowed a bit the pace, here and there, which does not mean that they have softened their sound; It means that they have crafted a different beast of a record. They have come a long way; been through several phases of the Black Metal genre growth, but have remained very true to their core, and that is what allows them to play around with Aggressiveness and Melody, because you can be melodic in the midst of violence.

Overall, another fantastic offering from these Finns, that grows every time to listen to it.

Archgoat Official Bandcamp

Debemur Morti Productions Official Bandcamp