Review by Felix on September 10, 2023.

Thousands of black metal bands have left the so-called left hand path. All those "Satanists" who lacked of conviction and commercial success, tried to find a new musical homeland while forgetting their long-standing fans. The result was almost always miserable. However, these bands increase the value of devilish storm troopers like Azaghal. Honestly, the here presented album has its ups and downs and a few tracks cannot convince all along the line. But I appreciate the unswerving stubbornness of mastermind Narqath, the pure blackness and the negativity of the sound. "Nemesis" does not lack of inscrutability and its typical black metal melodies seduce with their smell of death.

Azaghal offers the full program of the genre while avoiding to experiment with foreign influences. Atypical elements can only do harm. The band manages every tempo cleverly while presenting high speed tracks as well as slowly crawling bastards. The second species is very well represented by the monstrous "Ex Nihilo". It reminds me of Marduk´s similarly constructed tunes like "Temple of Decay" or "Funeral Dawn"; a bubbling stream of lava with a devastating power. This song breathes the spirit of firstly black metal, secondly black metal and lastly black metal. Better still, all tracks are black as pitch. With regard to this clearly defined approach, one might believe that the album lacks of variety. But the opposite is the case. For example, the raging opener shows quite a different face. Already its first riff drags you into an atmosphere of damnation. The song barrels along like a hurricane at the North Pole without leaving any questions concerning the basic direction of "Nemesis". High speed tunes like "Hail the Whore" confirm the vehemence of the band. Azaghal is not afraid of a certain amount of primitivity, because they are able to link the very simple sections with fascinating melodies and fierce determination.

One thing is for sure. The experienced four-piece knows all the tricks of the genre. Heavyweight guitar work, diabolical vocals and drums that sound like a jackhammer build the backbone of their music. The band acts on an equal footing as its compatriots of Behexen and the magical yet violent harmonies of songs such as "In Deathlike Silence" do not pale beside the highlights of "Nightside Emanations". This is all the more noteworthy in view of the fact that Azaghal does not need a great number of different riffs. The programmatically titled "Black Legions of Satan" serves as proof for this thesis. Its mid-tempo riff is both merciless and simple, but this tune does not need any further pillar. It reveals the essential elements as well as the typical aura of the genre in a sustainable manner so that you will not miss anything.

Rarely used clean vocals sound more or less bumpy and a small number of guitar lines fails to develop a deadly power. Nonetheless, "Nemesis" demonstrates the unabated bellicosity of Azaghal. Not least in respect of the coherent and well-grounded production, I guess that almost every black metal supporter will enjoy the record. Once again, the Finnish horde takes a stand against musical tolerance and misconceived softness. The left hand path is not yet orphaned.

Rating: 8.4 out of 10

Review by Nathan on September 9, 2023.

I appreciate that Weedeater at least has the taste (or lack of stamina) to refrain from writing particularly long songs, because it's far too easy for your songs to get tedious, especially when you're in stoner metal territory. However, just because the songs are shorter on Goliathan doesn't really make them any less tedious. They tend to stick to one or two ideas throughout the duration of a song, and their length doesn't help with the fact that it often seems like the riffs are a bit simple and underdeveloped. I realize the atmosphere is supposed to be minimal and straightforward, but even just a little variance in tempo ever now and then would help things out. They don't like to speed up or slow down once they establish a rhythmic base for the song. Are they just "in a groove, man"? I dunno.

The riffs aren't awful, but the heaviness of the melodies doesn't really match up with the guitar tone. They have a big low end, but the melodies are a bit too bouncy and bluesy and just kind of plod along without any real fury or grit. As a result, things just roll off your back and don't really stick around. There are a couple of moments with some slightly darker vibes, such as 'Reprise' but that song also suffers from that lack of length and development. Also, it's a very similar riff to the one on the title track. Even in working with a very limited palate of ideas, Weedeater seem content to repeat themselves a lot in a narrow timeframe.

I understand that their goal isn't to have riffs flying out at you every ten seconds, but Goliathan just feels so...familiar. It's not going to change your idea of what stoner metal sounds like. If anything, it's probably going to cement the stereotypes in your head that this stuff is generic and relies on two riffs per song. The vocals are the only thing remotely weird about the entire mix, and I'm not sure I'm sold on them either. They're unique, no doubt, and I guess you could say they fit with the music, but they kind of sound like a goblin who's a heavy smoker trying his hand at black metal vocals. They're harsh vocals that sound feeble and under-powered, and much like the music around them, they don't do a lot to really make an impact. Goliathan is just content to plod along, doing its thing, doesn't really care if you like it or not. If there's one thing I can give this album credit for, it's that it managed to create a very accurate auditory representation of a stereotypical stoner. This sounds bored, aimless, repetitive and comfortable. Whether that's a good thing or not is up to you, I guess.

There are two brief diversions from the usual M.O. of Weedeater on this album. 'Battered & Fried' is a jangly southern tune with some of the grimiest clean vocals I've heard in a long time. What the guy lacks in formal training or timbre, he makes up for in charisma, but the song still doesn't really go anywhere and feels six minutes long even though it's closer to half that length. 'Benaddiction' is a brief, spacey jam along the lines of Yob, and doesn't serve to do much else than close out the album. Neither of these two songs are completely bad, but they're not the super-creative curveballs you'd like, either. That's pretty much how I'd sum up the rest of this album, really. It's not egregiously offensive or anything, but I expect a lot more in terms of musical content and depth from a band that's signed to a bigger label, on their fifth album and have been playing together for almost 20 years. You're probably just better off using the money you were going to spend on Goliathan on weed and revisiting your old Electric Wizard and Orange Goblin albums instead.

Rating: 4.3 out of 10