Archgoat – Heavenly Vulva (Christ’s Last Rites)

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Archgoat’s Heavenly Vulva (Christ’s Last Rites) doesn’t pretend to be anything it’s not. Over six tracks and 16 minutes, it’s a concentrated dose of raw blackened death metal with almost nothing going on beyond the perpetual desecration of God’s name and a feverish dedication to simple, aggressive riffs and drums. Vocals are an afterthought, so low in the mix and lazily growled that they may as well not exist, and the ostensibly atmospheric keyboards don’t even attempt anything beyond cheesy ’70s haunted house organ. And yet, somehow, this EP is totally awesome. Archgoat don’t try to shock or offend with their cover art depicting the Virgin Mary mounting the rotting body of Christ or the moans that open Goddess of The Abyss of Graves; they just want you to have a good time while embracing darkness. The music here, like so much of the ultra-lo-fi underground, essentially defies analysis. If this is for you, you’ve probably already heard it. Heavenly Vulva is practically unlistenable, and therein lies its subtle beauty.

Written by Brad Sanders
More: 2011, Black Metal, EPs, Quick.Play Reviews, Archgoat