Biochemterrorism

Like a lot of people, I hadn't taken Goatpenis very seriously up until this point. This album has drastically changed my perception, catapulting this release into my top albums of recent years. Also keep in mind that this review is written from the perspective of someone fairly new to their work.

"Biochemterrorism" is a seamless mix of South American black thrash, melodic BM, and bestial black/death vocals.

The first thing to catch my attention about this album is a crisp guitar tone that pierces it's way through the mix with surprisingly memorable and often melodic riffing. I didn't approach this album expecting to walk away humming it's melodies, but have found myself doing just that after each listen.

The songwriting on this album has a maturity to it that only time can bring . The band's ability to compose straight-forward and somewhat minimal song structures, in addition to their use of carefully repeated melodic riffs, can come across as almost epic at times. The songs are not just relentless blast-fests as we have come to expect from some South American bands operating in the post-Sarcofago era. Goatpenis skillfully incorporate mid-tempo passages to add atmosphere and emphasize the severity of their speed assaults.

The single-note tremolo picked riffs (as opposed to chords) over blast beats are reminiscent of a certain BM band, which I can't seem to put my finger on at the moment. In spite of that, this style sounds surprisingly fresh in this context of South American black thrash, with a production that is just perfect for the presentation. Everything is clear and audible, but with a certain rough edge that keeps it slightly destructive and contributes to chaotic yet controlled atmosphere.

Vocally (as mentioned earlier) the performance on this album falls into the "bestial black/death" category. Which I think is great for this style, as it offers some deviation from the typical shrieked black/thrash vocals that you might hear in this genre. The vocals on this album tend to sound demonic, almost inhuman, and are sunk into the mix with reverb to give them a nice cryptic effect.

Perhaps I've just been listening to too much death metal lately, but this album has hit me like a breath of fresh air (pardon the expression), and I haven't been able to stop listening to it since it arrived.