Year: 2024
Label: Time To Kill Records/Kick/Narcotica Publishing
Death metal and grindcore are genres naturally predilected towards violence. Themes of gore, sadism, violence and all things splattered with viscera are the bread and butter of both genres. However, Finnish deathgrind duo Goatburner take a humoristically novel take on the topic on Fatal, their second full length album.
Consisting of Kaos on guitars and vocals and Spider on drums – more familiar to many as Keijo Niinimaa of Finnish grindcore legends Rotten Sound and Jaakko Forsman of Skulmagot, Ratface etc., respectively – Goatburner are no greenhorns. And this is obvious from the album: they ply their trade with a steady hand and an innate sense for the aesthetics and blueprints of the genre.
So, that humorous take on the lyrics? Well, Pool Of Blood is about the hazards of cleaning a pool, slipping and gruesomely hitting your head. Attack is a vicious tale of what happens when bees make their nest on one’s porch. Morbid Angle is a neck breaking anecdote of why it is important to follow regulations when building stairs. So yes, the songs are steeped in violence and death, but with always with a twist.
Musically, luckily, Goatburner don’t opt for making light of serious things. No, this is pretty standard deathgrind with an emphasis on fast tempos and viciously churning riffs. The vocals are hoarse screams accentuated by the odd shriek. All standard fare, and for the most part, competent enough.
But here and there, Goatburner falter ever so slightly. The slower sections can’t hide the fact that the bass guitar plays a significant role in extreme metal – and that it is an instrument Goatburner do not utilize. These slower sections sound a wee bit thin, like they’re missing something. Which they, of course, are.
Another flaw is that Fatal overstays its welcome a bit. Ultimately, it’s pretty much cut from one cloth without too many tricks up its sleeve; aggressive grinding death metal and deathly grind. Clocking in at 39 minutes, the album could do with a bit of slimming down in order to keep up interest better.
But for the most part, Fatal is competent if not in any way original or outstanding. If you’ve heard a few deathgrind albums in your life, you will know what to expect from this duo of rabid jokesters. The few shortcomings don’t ruin the album, so if the genre is your cup of bloody intestinal mush, go ahead – give it a try. Just be careful when you warm up that cup of viscera pulp so that you don’t lobotomize your brain.
Only Death Is Real 