Fueled by Pure Speed and Hatred

Goatwhore’s latest release is everything one would expect from the New Orleans extreme metal giants. The introductory track, “Forsaken,” kicks off the album in a manner that is almost overwhelming to the senses. The guitar is persistent throughout the entire song and serves as a foundation for the sonic tomfoolery that surrounds it; the drums are seemingly everywhere, following no clear-cut path; and the ever so familiar over-the-top vocals add to the chaos — but it’s awesome. It’s almost as if this was set as the introductory track to weed out those that would be faint-hearted enough to falter and hit the stop button as opposed to continuing on through the rest of Vengeful Ascension. Soon, the album begins to take a more structured approach into the fray, seemingly fueled by pure speed and hatred, with emphasis on the latter.

Several tracks could be used to exemplify the character and musicianship found throughout the album, but “Chaos Arcane” comes first to mind. It is a rich example of what Goatwhore have to offer musically and does not fail to leave the listener in awe by its end, whether it be from admiring or admonishing the composition. The persistent double bass onslaught in tandem with the masterful riffing from the guitars provides a sense of urgency that almost forces a physical response from the listener throughout.

Along with other songs such as “Drowned In Grim Rebirth” and “Mankind Will Have No Mercy,” Vengeful Ascension exhibits an incredibly strong foundation of skill, urgency and vulgarity wrapped in an easy to ingest form. As a whole it is an excellent album, as well as a great offering to the metal community in a year that has consistently set the bar high in terms of its releases thus far.