An Absolute War Metal Gem - "Death Before Dishonour" Review (95%)

This Goatmoon band just gets better and better with every new release...

The early demos were enough to me to fully appreciate Goatmoon's music, but this debut full length is something beyond my imaginations and, being Finnish myself, I can only be proud that this country was able to shit out such excellent bands as Goatmoon, Satanic Warmaster, Beherit and Reiklos.

I guess the main thing is that Goatmoon plays the kind of black metal that I like most - the type of blackened death metal that often gets called "war metal" by fanatics of the genre.

If I mention bands like Phantom, the aforementioned Beherit, Warkvlt, Incantation, Marduk and many others alike, then you probably get my point.

Goatmoon may have a little bit in common with few of these hordes, but overall "Death Before Dishonour" presents the band going on its own (left hand) path.

Will you follow it? Trust me, you must.

The atmosphere, often overlooked in the war metal genre (aside from early Phantom), well, you will find that in spades on "Death Before Dishonour". It alternates between ghastly like "Fallen Angel" and eerie like "Filosofem". Cold, sinister, mournful, angry, melancholic... You may use such words while describing Goatmoon's music and they'll all fit.

This album is a blackened war metal gem.

An Absolute War Metal Gem

"Death Before Dishonour" has many layers, on which Goatmoon builds their music, consequently developing the style from the demo recordings, the first three ones especially.

And so you'll find the so familiar kind of folky, often epic kind of melodic riffing on a few occasions, which may remind you of early Graveland or even Peste Noire, which were present in Goatmoon's music already in the earlier tracks.

Many of them are played in neckbreaking speed, what surprisingly reminds me also another blackened war metal troupe, the mighty Marduk.

And fast playing fills up the greater part of the album, "Forest of Misanthropy" and "Light Will Not Be", as well as "Blackmetal Winter" which begins the album, all are fantastic examples for that. But the arrangements are getting more and more brave and make the discovering of "Death Before Dishonour" an exceptional experience. Goatmoon isn't scare of using very peaceful, melancholic part next to those furious, blasting, crazy fast playing. They even use some atmospheric chorus parts here and there, "In the Cursing Embrace" coming to my mind straight away.

Of course, another influence that I haven't mentioned, especially in the way the different riffs are arranged linearly, almost like classical music as opposed to banal rock 'n' roll, is... Absurd. You'd think you are listening to "Der Fünfzehnjährige Krieg" on some tracks, especially near the end (and on the closer "Kunnia, Armageddon!" in particular).

BlackGoat's vocals are some of the best I've ever heard on a black metal album, he simply has amazing voice... his shrieks and screams blend together with some sort of clean singing, though not what you would expect, are just one of the kind and I've never heard anything like it before.

Together with some stunning, very poetic lyrics, he's done brilliant work. He's the man behind Goatmoon's success, by the way, as he plays all instruments. It's crazy how some of the greatest black metal bands, Burzum, Phantom, Neraines, Goatmoon, Ildjarn, Satanic Warmaster, are all the work of single artists as opposed to actual bands of musicians. I guess it's because black metal is a more "personal" genre of music.

All in all, "Death Before Dishonour" is raw, evil, devilish blackened war metal.

You must listen to this album, you won't regret it.

Get ready, as it won't be sunny and pleasant...

Death Before Dishonour score: 95/100.

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