Band:	Goatwhore
Album:	Angels Hung From The Arches Of Heaven
Style:	Blackened death metal, Blackened thrash metal
Release date:	October 07, 2022
A review by:	omne metallum

01. Invocation 3
02. Born Of Satan's Flesh
03. The Bestowal Of Abomination
04. Angels Hung From The Arches Of Heaven
05. Death From Above
06. Ruinous Liturgy
07. Victory Is The Lightning Of Destruction
08. Voracious Blood Fixation
09. The Devil's Warlords
10. Weight Of A Soulless Heart
11. Nihil
12. And I Was Delivered From The Wound Of Perdition

Hark the angels sing.

One of Metal Blade Records's finest, Goatwhore are long overdue in delivering a follow-up to 2017's serviceable Vengeful Ascension. It is so that this year we are graced with another slab of the band's blackened blitzkrieg in the form of Angels Hung From The Arches Of Heaven, an album that will test the durability of any speakers you dare blast this album from.

Goatwhore's signature blackened death thrash sound is still as primal and powerful as ever; from the opening salvo of "Born Of Satan's Flesh", Angels Hung From The Arches Of Heaven roars to life and doesn't look back. Running a gauntlet of heavy riffs and earth-shattering grooves, Goatwhore add several more notches to their belts with tracks like "Nihil", "Death From Above" and the Motörhead-meets-Venom cacophony that is "Victory Is The Lightning Of Destruction".

Sammy Pierre Duet is once again central to the sound of Goatwhore, with shredding on both guitar and his vocal cords. "Voracious Blood Fixation" will make you sit up and wonder how he manages to balance both elements with such apparent ease. Simmons' punishment of the drums is the powerhouse of the album, ensuring that while the rest of the band ease back on the groove on tracks like "The Devil's Warlords", the power and punch does not relent.

Featuring a solid sound and mix, Angels Hung From The Arches Of Heaven is fresh and crisp to the ears. From the roaring vocals to the razorwire guitars, Goatwhore have found a sweet spot between power, precision and atmosphere with which to display their sonic wares.

Perhaps the greatest weakness on Angels Hung From The Arches Of Heaven is that it is too much of a good thing; leaving the listener with dimishing returns as the album goes on, the vibrancy and vitriol slowly wear off with each passing track. By the time "The Devil's Warlords" starts playing, you will find what was at first exciting to be merely as expected; had the album featured more diversity or a shorter run time, it wouldn't feel like it outstays its welcome like it does.

Goatwhore have long mastered their sonic domain, with Angels Hung From The Arches Of Heaven presenting yet another bar for other bands to measure themselves against should they dare and challenge the band for their crown. Though they perhaps pigeonhole themselves too much to their own detriment, they are at least masters of their craft, and produce yet more tracks to look forward to in live sets.