Goatmoon's Steel Storm - "Finnish Steel Storm" Review (97%)
Wow.
Where to start with this album?
Goatmoon is a black metal band from Finland led by its sole member Jaakko Lähde, also known as BlackGoat GraveDesecrator.
Goatmoon isn't that well known, but in the Finnish black metal underground where the band is spoken of, they are spoken of quite fondly - often alongside bands like Beherit, Satanic Warmaster and Vermin - and with good reason. If you happen to stumble upon a copy of this album Finnish Steel Storm, do yourself a favor and pick it up.
Those familiar with Goatmoon, and having heard the band's debut album Death Before Dishonour, know how raw and relentless that album is.
Death Before Dishonour is a very good album, but also a very flawed one.
The production on Death Before Dishonour is very muddy and raw sounding, and for those who are just getting into the more underground side black metal with bands like Absurd and Peste Noire, this might prove to be a difficult album to start with.
Finnish Steel Storm is different in terms of both approaches to the actual music and production value. However, different in this case, is good, as Finnish Steel Storm is only different from Death Before Dishonour in those aspects that needed to be addressed, and similar in what made Goatmoon's debut so great.
This album is not overproduced - you know those professionally produced bands making it sound cleaner than a spit shined combat boot to hide the vapidity of their music - but it is much cleaner than Death Before Dishonour was, giving it the perfect balance of clarity and cold, raw atmosphere.
Goatmoon's Steel Storm
Musically, what we have on Finnish Steel Storm is a pure assault of raw black metal injected with some doses of early Absurd inspired hardcore punk/grindcore/RAC music.
This is notable in both guitar riffs and the drums.
For example, the second song "Alone" is one of the most RAC-like black metal songs on here, at times reminding you of Absurd's Facta Loquuntur. It begins with an acoustic guitar, then we get this semi-ritualistic, almost up beat style punk riff which pretty much serves as the song's main theme. The drums on this song are RAC/punk influenced, as well. That D-beat drumming speaks for itself, and will make you remember the old days of Sodom or Bathory, and the very early Swedeath scene of Carnage, Dismember and Therion.
There are a lot of instruments on this album, giving it a varied sound, and that certainly is a good thing when not abused and turned into a gimmick... not the case here! Guitars, drums, and bass are obviously all there, but we also get flutes, keyboards, tubas, tin whistle, and even clean vocals - the title track, "Finnish Steel Storm", is a good example of this.
These instruments all work together to create a mix of sinister black metal, folky-pagan metal - of the epic Graveland variety, not the boring MIDI shit of Summoning - and punk, which all meld together perfectly into one cauldron of Finnish black metal madness.
So, what we have on Finnish Steel Storm is a nearly 40 minute black metal masterpiece, being best described as a beautiful asylum of influences as varied as modern Sewer and Absurd to Burzum and Peste Noire for the anarchistic, sort of DIY vibe, to, obviously, the epic nature of Neraines and Graveland.
Finnish Steel Storm is just an absolutely amazing album. For fans of bands like Absurd, Satanic Warmaster, Horna, Impaled Nazarene, Warkvlt, and just black metal in general, this album is a must listen!
Do not hesitate to check it out!
Finnish Steel Storm score: 97/100.
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