Review by Felix on August 26, 2024.

The debut of this Finnish four-piece offered melodic, complex black metal and exactly the same applies to their second album. "Intra Ecclesiam Nulla Salus" houses seven pieces that sound as if the "Kings of the Carnival Creation" have returned. Yet the music also conveys some Melecheshian reminiscences. The thrilling "Altars Smothered by Ash", for example, possesses a soft interlude with oriental vibes. The break is very well embedded in the harsher parts of the composition. This does not remain an individual case, because the Goats have a knack for the creation of smoothly flowing pieces. Too bad that they do not know their weak sides. Otherwise they would not dare to offer the horrible clean vocals in "Prophets ov Fire and Ruins". Their rare appearance has the potential to kill the entire, actually strong number in a matter of seconds.

Yet the advantages of "Intra Ecclesiam..." outweigh the disadvantages. The level of aggression gives no cause for concern, the appropriate production delivers the necessary pressure and the songs have enough breaks and tempo changes to be interesting. The Goats do not expand the usual spectre of this kind of black metal, but they know how to make good use of its stylistic means. Furthermore, it is laudable that they stick to their guns, even though complicated, mid-harsh black metal with symphonic extras is not very popular at the moment. Either way, the album consists of dramatic, fast, dignified and melodic parts which are successfully connected in most cases. I just do not know why they equip each and every song with such an opulent design. Seven pieces in 56 minutes, this arrangement must be understood as a statement. But sometimes less is more and although the band avoids tedious sections, a slightly more compact arrangement of the songs could be helpful.

The comparatively brief "As They Roam the Left Hand Path" with a length of 5:34 shows that it does not need a composition of eight or ten minutes to leave an impact. The rather slow-paced number has an eerie atmosphere while avoiding overly epic sequences and its accessible structure creates quickly a recognition value. The main melody will not get an award for originality, but this does not affect the quality of the song. As indicated above, the Goats are competent songwriters. The pretty stormy "Yhtä hulluuden kanssa" confirms the statement, albeit its ghostly break does not add much value to the song. But this part is immediately forgotten as soon as its pretty impetuous final part set in.

Although the vocalist does not always strike the right tone, he contributes to the positive overall picture of the album. His nasty nagging accompanies the harsher parts, but some heroic eruptions and celestial background choirs show up as well. Yet the other band member also perform without major flaws and the final, partly blast beats driven song closes an album which is worth listening to. Do not expect a milestone, but fans of symphonic black metal will have a good time with this full-length in view of the qualified bleating of the Goats.

Rating: 7 out of 10