siLLy puPPy Formed in 2009 in Portland, Oregon, the war metal masters WEREGOAT followed in the footsteps of other war metal pioneers such as Teitanblood, Blasphemy, Archgoat and Beherit. In accord with their influences, the bestial black metal band WEREGOAT continued the depravation by releasing two EPs in 2011 and 2013 with a split with Diocletian appearing in between. Finally in 2017 they release their first full-length release PESTILENTIAL RITES OF INFERNAL FORNICATION and prove that they have what it takes to summon the attention of the darkened gutter world with a extraordinarily strong bestial debut release. Very much in the vein of Blasphemy or any of the aforementioned bands WEREGOAT practice a darkened ritual of heavy aggressive and fast downtuned power chords, grindcore bursts of frenetic energy and traces of death metal never too far behind. While the chords have that staunch black metal wall of sound buzz saw effect, the riffs have more of a death metal edge to them as do the growled lower register vocals that don’t have that famous black metal shrieked rasp.

PESTILENTIAL RITES OF INFERNAL FORNICATION is an wickedly perverse venture into the world of musical degeneracy with relentless musical fortitude forging new ways into every taboo subject possible. The album cover pretty much sums up what you’ll experience on this one and the music does feel like a horror film to a forced spawning session of Satan while the dark priests gaze in admiration of their master as he violently gestates his bloodline in the most unthinkable ways possible. Musically this has a very strong relation to early second wave black metal with some of the more energetic bands like Gorgoroth and Marduk coming to mind but delivered with a hybridization of that early death metal sound that Morbid Angel was known for with those pummeling heavily distorted riffs and the sudden unexpected squealing guitar solos. There are even some nice guitar tricks that make the squeals sound like a horse in the midst of an infernal battle as the war frenzy commences.

Vile and repugnant as fuck, WEREGOAT prove that there is a fiercely staunch underground splinter of the black metal world that refuses to add symphonic elements, cute cuddly melodies or even one tiny element of compromise. While many a war metal band can sound pretty monotonous after experiencing a 38 minute time run, WEREGOAT find ways to deliver dynamic shifts despite the unrelenting brutality and hellish overtones blasted out in every note. Even the slower parts are pure evil and exude the whiff of sacrificial blood and semen stained corpses. I find this debut by WEREGOAT to be an excellent example of taking all the most extreme elements of both the black and death metal universes and fusing them together like a Satanic centaur roaming the caverns of Hades. The album titles say it all. You will truly feel “Molested By Evil” as you observe how the “Forked Tongue Lashes Between The Virgin’s Thighs”. This album will keep you “Under The Whip” as “Malediction Command” evokes the “Goatlust Invocation” until one can’t cease from “Screaming Forth Endless Blasphemies and Emitting Foul Seed upon the Pitiful Face of Benevolence.”