#americanmetal — Public Fediverse posts

https://www.europesays.com/ie/730560/ Golgothan – Offering Review | Angry Metal Guy #25 #2026 #Aborted #AmericanMetal #Benighted #BrutalDeathMetal #DeathMetal #Éire #Entertainment #Golgothan #IE #Ireland #LaceratedEnemyRecords #Music #offering #Review #Reviews #Sep26 #Vulvodynia

Golgothan hails from Lafayette, Louisiana, and they ply their brand of brutal death metal with murderous verve. After releasing a string of EPs between 2014 and 2020, these bayou brutes dropped debut, Leech in 2022. Four years later, Golgothan returns with sophomore Offering, and it picks up where Leech left off—by making your earholes beg for mercy. At a lean thirty-six minutes, Offering doesn’t faff about. Brutal death metal usually necessitates trim runtimes, as overwhelming the senses with bloated barbarity floods systems with too much br00tal juice. Golgothan certainly delivers on that front, and Offering hums with vile vitality as it rips and rends through nine tracks of unrelenting mayhem. Yet in the end, more than wicked savagery is required to sustain memorability past an album’s runtime. Does Golgothan muster an Offering fit for brutal backwaters?

Golgothan operates at their best and most distinctive when they bludgeon with melodious intent. This might seem odd in a genre notorious for crushing listeners into meat paste, but it helps Golgothan stand out amongst their peers. Tracks like “Suck the Fluid from Their Heads” and “Sal[i]vation” rush out the gate with gnarly through-lines that imbue Offering with the catchy nastiness of Aborted, Benighted, and Vulvodynia. And like these outfits, Golgothan does a swell job of saturating compositions with stank while also sloughing heaps of hooks that imbue songs with techy personality (“Human Lunchable,” “Sal[i]vation”). Other moments get stuck in the muck, dredging up blood-soaked slogs befitting Golgothan’s swampy surroundings (“Golgothan Offering,” “Down into the Gullet”). The deft balance of all these elements unites into a varied but cohesive record.

Throughout Offering, Golgothan supplies ample proof that their bilious coffers ooze with talent. Guitarists John LeBlanc and Jesse Majors flay fretboards with frantic riffing and feverish chugs, caroming between blistering blasts of bloodthirst (“Red Desert”) and polished leads that seep into tech death territory (“Down into the Gullet”). Drummer Eddie Jacobs discharges snappy kitwork that pummels without overpowering songs, engendering a nuanced and impactful performance. Bassist Jerik Thibodeaux rounds out the instrumentation, and while the mix often distracts from his performance, he cuts through every now and again to round out the low end. And throughout Offering, vocalist Jai Benoit scrapes together a feral performance as he shreds his throat across its runtime.1 From death roars (“Onslaught of Teeth”) to squelching rasps (“Human Lunchable”), Benoit exhibits a versatility that enhances the diversity of Golgothan’s individual tracks.

With all the positive momentum built by Golgothan’s kinetic bluster, a couple of factors dampen Offering’s impact. Foremost, the record’s compression renders it a chore to listen to. Of all the ways I played it, Offering sounds best on my car stereo with the windows down. With earbuds, cans, or even on my laptop speakers, the mix is overloud and busy. This is most telling by the distorted drums, especially at the beginning of songs where they’re the only thing playing (“Forest vs. Children,” “Suck the Fluid from Their Heads”). And while slam jams don’t often warrant much sonic space to do their jobs, Golgothan unfairly hinders their music by not allowing individual performances more separation. Besides the production woes, Offering mostly shines with aggressively compelling death metal, but a few songs feel underbaked and lack the zip of the album’s best material. Specifically, “Zed” and the first halves of “Red Desert” and “Onslaught of Teeth” underwhelm compared to other tracks, although the back halves of those tracks sport some killer solos and are essential listening on the album—they just need fine-tuning early on.

In total, Golgothan delivers a rousing slab of brutal death metal on Offering. A more nuanced production would immediately elevate the outcome, but even as-is these Pelican State punks promise big potential. Inspired axework, gurgling vocals, and a boisterous rhythm section enliven a fun time full of noxious spunk that goes down quick if not easy. Even so, the cream of the crop hits hard enough to preserve for select playlists and will keep me interested in what Golgothan decides to with their next Offering.

Rating: Mixed
DR: 4 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Lacerated Enemy Records
Websites: Bandcamp2 | Facebook | Instagram
Releases Worldwide: September 4th, 20263

Finally the rain has stopped falling and the ducts are dry. Musty and filled with bodies of lost minions, maybe, but dry. This means that I can send my remaining minions in to trudge for gems and nuggets on double time—same pay of course. And for a great cause!

Okay maybe not a great cause, but at least a decently good cause. Someone’s got to let the people know what decently good things came out in July, after all. BEHOLD!

ClarkKent’s House of Horrors

Mourir // Nous, le Venin [July 10th, 2026 – Self Released]

The French have proven to be masters at writing spine-tingling black metal, from Blut Aus Nord’s Disharmonium albums to Hasard’s horrifying symphonic soundscapes. Add to that list the atmoblack group Mourir, with their third record, Nous, le Venin, a work that unsettles with dissonant riffs and deranged shrieks and shouts. They combine DSBM-style vocals with the sort of melodic tremolos played by Pure Wrath in a sinister concoction that’s simultaneously entertaining and horrifying. Dissonance creates a Veilburner topsy-turvy effect that catches listeners off-guard, as evidenced late on “Mon Rêve Animal,” which drifts into an improvisational, jazzy drum solo that’s weird but also cool. Similar to Hasard, Mourir play with tons of energy, running blast beats in breathless suicide sprints that barely give you time to find your bearings. Yet Mahell’s kit work also demonstrates plenty of diversity. “Ennui Ennemi” is a case study, from the opening fits and starts to furious blast beats to a complete cessation of drums as suspense builds from slow, discordant chords. There are plenty of artsy touches utilizing lengthy passages of silence—”Je Est Absent” contains notes of chilling riffs that break the fragile peace. The riffs are no slouch either, wavering between enjoyable melodic tremolos and hair-raising chords of terror. If you like your black metal unconventional, you’ll find plenty to enjoy, and to unsettle, on Nous, le Venin, which may or may not leave your sanity intact.

Profane Burial // Desolate Echoes of Turmoil [July 24th, 2026 – These Hands Melt]

Not wanting to be outdone by the French, Norway’s Profane Burial throw their hat in the ring for some bone-chilling tunes on their third full-length album, Desolate Echoes of Turmoil. Dear Hollow enjoyed their prior release, 2024’s My Plateau, calling it “scatterbrained and wonky” and “a fun-as-hell symphonic black metal foray.” The orchestral music combined with the unsettling guitar work has the feel of a cinematic score, something that could accompany the whimsical horror of Sweeney Todd. The record has touches of Dimmu Borgir, but with the sinister discordance of this year’s other symphonic horror black metal release from Vesseles. Profane Burial seeks to challenge, with dense layers of chugging guitars underpinning the sound, but additional layers of guitar allow for some noodling to creep in so the music doesn’t leave you completely cold. While Desolate Echoes of Turmoil doesn’t lure you in with hooks, it’s still plenty mesmerizing in its atmospheric guitar work and icy blast beats. The symphonic portions often play second fiddle to the guitars and drums, but prove exhilarating on the likes of “Triumph of Dreadful Aftermath,” a true symphony of horrors. It’s challenging, it’s avant-garde, and it’s dense, yet something about Desolate Echoes of Turmoil weaves a spell that lures listeners into its twisted cinematic soundscape.

Creeping Ivy’s Varied Velocities

Frolic // Legacies of Cybernetica [July 3rd, 2026 – Hectic Records]

Initially, I thought thrash could only rage through hellscapes, warscapes, and other such scary ‘scapes. But then I finally heard Death Angel’s Frolic Through the Park (1988), which showed me that the genre could happily move in a carefree way through natural spaces. I have to think that Frolic, a thrash band from the Bay Area, derived its name from the imperative verb found on the classic sophomore album by the Bay Area thrash legends. After all, this Hayward foursome forge a fun thrash core, consisting of frenzied finger-tapping, technical gallops, and glorious guitarmonies (“Legacies of Cybernetica”). There’s nothing natural, however, about the seven Legacies of Cybernetica Frolic bequeath to listeners, in the form of their own sophomore effort. Indeed, “Disasters of Experiments” shows guitarists Edgar Sánchez and Lenny “Real Steel” Ramirez ripping riffs and solos at ungodly speeds, while “Living in Virtuality” leads bassist Zak Kufeld to strut his highly active bass tone, supported by the dexterous drumming of Elijah Post. “A Shattered Soul” perfectly encapsulates the band’s talent for making tasty, tight jams feel adventurous. Sánchez’s rasps overlay a blackened exterior onto modern, technical thrash that should excite fans of Warbringer, Havok, and the like. The rhythm guitar tone is a bit wetter than I’d like, and the nine-minute title track does stall the album somewhat out the gate. But overall, Legacies of Cybernetica strolls along at 38 minutes, consistently kicking ass and heralding a promising voice in thrash.

Slow Goat // Where the Wisest Fear to Tread [July 10th, 2026 – Self Released]

I had no idea goats were fast creatures. Apparently, they can travel anywhere between 15 and 40 miles per hour, depending on whether they’re domesticated or wild. Their sprightliness isn’t a reason why goats are so heavily associated with black metal, but it’s a happy accident, at the very least. Given their surprising speed (at least to me), it makes sense that a metal band named Slow Goat would play stoner-doom. On Where the Wisest Fear to Tread, this Portland, OR foursome’s debut, stoner-doom comes in an assortment of flavors. In their most domesticated moments, Slow Goat deal in straightforward bangers that let the sultry mid-range of vocalist Rosie Peterson shine, recalling the skulking and skittering of a Castle Rat (“Fallen Child”). On the untamed side of things, bassist Adam Carter and drummer Eric Bloombaum become more central, initiating jammy slow burns that waft like a waving Windhand (“Visions/Fell Ritual”). Feeling more like domesticated wildness is a track like “Sisyphus,” where guitarist Dan Black conjures classic Khemmis via fuzzy melodic riffs with some get up n’ go. Where the Wisest Fear to Tread may be a bit overlong at 46 minutes, but there’s enough variety within a limited paradigm to keep things interesting. The doomy descent of closer “Under the Glass,” coupled with Peterson’s dynamic vocal performance and Black’s concluding shreddery, leaves me happily wanting more from these Portlanders. If and when it drops, I’ll be hurtling towards Slow Goat’s sophomore album with goat-like speed.

Grin Reaper’s Melodic Mistreaters

Sigyn // From Nation to Chaos [July 10th, 2026 – Noble Demon]

Generally speaking, Finnish melodeath is my favorite melodeath,1 and Sigyn’s sophomore effort From Nation to Chaos brims with all the goodies I love. Key-forward compositions adorned with soaring guitars and hooks sharp enough to pierce iron2 litter From Nation’s runtime with ear candy galore. Echoing Finnish titans Omnium Gatherum and Children of Bodom, Sigyn clearly understands how to weave ultra-sticky melodies into tightly crafted tracks that teem with slick production and toothsome bite. “Break These Chains” shimmers with chilling synths à la I Worship Chaos, and the key-bleating from “Blind Prophet” would sound at home on The Burning Cold or Origin. Besides luxuriating in honey-sweet melodeath, Sigyn dabbles with Nightwish-informed orchestrations that call to mind Imaginaerum (“The Crawlers”) and Endless Forms Most Beautiful (“World in Flames”). Although the influences ring clearly, Sigyn mixes them together in a way that sounds inspired and honed to lodge in your memory bank for days on end. In a month that had fewer quality releases than the bounty that graced us earlier in the year, From Nation to Chaos embodies a Sigyn of better things to come.

Galneryus // A Cry from the Sky Above [July 15th, 2026 – Warner Music Japan]

The quality of Galneryus records may fluctuate from release to release, but the Japanese export has one of the most consistently high floors in all of metal. Galneryus returned in July with their sixteenth album, and even if it doesn’t assail listeners with any new tricks, A Cry from the Sky Above delivers a bevy of raucous moments that inspire air guitar heroics and singalong anthems. Harnessing the hard-rocking sensibilities of X Japan and straining them through the technical ecstasy of Symphony X, Galneryus once again captivates with their grasp of how fun power metal can be. “The Light of Hope” starts off with an 80s synth intro ripped straight out of Europe3 before giving way to Syu’s six-string capers and Masatoshi Ono’s velvety tenor. “Beyond the Sunrise” unleashes Rhapsody-reminiscent neoclassical licks, “Break the Silence!” allows Yuhki to discharge unhinged key theatrics, and “To the Last Breath” roars with Angrafied thunder. Sure, maybe A Cry from the Sky Above sports some warts considering the final two tracks’ excessive runtimes or a diminished adventurousness compared to earlier albums, but Galneryus also forges another satisfying platter that should please longtime fans and give newcomers a taste of the band’s enduring longevity and potency.

The Scepter // Shadows in the Tower [July 24th, 2026 – No Remorse Records]

Clocking in at a shade under half an hour,4 Canadian collective The Scepter discharged their full-length debut back in July. Around the time of Shadows in the Tower’s release, The Scepter caught a nice bit of press for playing a heavy metal show at a hospital for a patient unable to see any. And while they deserve credit for headlining such a great cause, this is no sympathy plug—The Scepter strikes hard and trve. “Riding Out” kicks off the album with self-assured swagger and BIG Maiden Energy (BME), where the main riff echoes “Aces High” to thrilling effect. Meanwhile, “Where Art Thou” doubles down on BME with calls to “Losfer Words (Big ‘Orra)” and “The Duelists.” Despite the obvious Powerslave influence, though, Shadows in the Tower does plenty to separate itself from simply being a clone. The Scepter also reminds me of Fili Bibiano’s Fortress and fellow hosers Ültra Raptör, balancing glossy guitar work with chest-thumping choruses. The production sports retro grit without feeling dated, the snappy solos flash with blitzkrieg brevity, and the ending dyad of “Taarakian Blood” and “Shadows in the Tower” blaze with anthemic glory and are worth the price of admission alone. Now go, step into the Shadows in the Tower and activate your pleasure reScepters.

Show 4 footnotes

1. With notable exceptions. ↩
2. Their ability to penetrate Steel remains… woefully undetermined. ↩
3. “Carrie,” specifically. ↩
4. Less the thrashy Journey cover, which is a pretty fun bonus track. ↩