Goat Horn - Storming The Gates (Basement Metal) Fuck yes! One of the best heavy metal Goat Horn = a trio of super-awesome Canadians who mix the best of the 80’s and 90’s meta into one album. If you put Trouble, Savatage (circa 1983-85), Cathedral, Venom, Witchfinder General, Angel Witch, and even “Heartwork”-era Carcass.
In fact, the vocal styles seem to encompass all of these bands. Bonus points for the ripper photo collage. All caputred beautifully on analog. Yep, that’s right fuckin’ analogue! Shove that in your Pro Tools, nu-meddle boy! Overall, this is just 100% killer HEAVY METAL - no prefixes needed, you got it? Next to Finntroll , this is the best metal album of 2004!

((((((((1)))))))))) Monsterously HEAVY doom meets Judas Priest riffing into more ‘Priest/Fucking Champs/Trouble mix 1982-83 era riffing. One of THEE motherfuckinest of all metallic outputs! Old Savatage, “Heartwork”-era Carcass and DOOM! Bow down!
((((2))) Sabbath-y/Cathedral deal. Riff references Sabbath’s “Hole In The Sky” and mixes a St. Vitus/Cathederal vibe with Carcass circa “Heartwork” (or some of better stuff on “Swan Song”). Hella catchy.
((((3))))) Classic Sabbath meets ‘Maiden style riffing but total lo-fi (as in you can hear a lot of the hands moving across the frets, lo-fi) into a classic march ‘ala NWOBHM masters like Angel Witch and US stuff like early Savatage. Metallicious chorus!
(((((4))))) Acoustic intro then a monsterous DOOM RIDING riff ‘ala Savatage on “Dungeons Are Calling” mixed with Trouble & Cathedral. Amazing vocal delievery! Slayer can’t even buy riffs this good these days!
(((((5)))) OK, fine a little bit on the “happy pants pumpkin dance” style of Helloween, Gamma Ray but why not? Besides this launches off...
(((((6))))) ...into a series of pummelling, OTT riffing you must experience in full! Lots of that “Am I Evil?” slow jud-jud breakdown mixed with a bit of melodic & classic metal style.
(((((7))))) Sounds like a lost ‘Maiden track in a way but it’s mixed up a bit with different vocals. Fuckin’ amazing backing vocals, too kind of in that odd “gang style” that a lot fhe speed bands did in the late 80’s but a tad different here. Damn, I love the vocal phrasing and the squirelly solo.
(((((8))))) Super riffy and snarling like “Sirens/Dungeons” -era Savatage mixed with a “Children of the Grave” re-working then gets into this twisted collision of late-era Carcass meets Exciter?
(((((9))))) Hmm...where have I heard this riff before? “Hall of the Mountain King” by Savatage? Some ‘78 -era Sabbath? Ahhh who cares? This is Goat Horn, dood! Mixes NWOBHM and some of the best early era underground US metal of 1981-85.