Review by Carl on April 12, 2025.

Allow me to bring to your attention: "Damn Goat", the second offering of Morbid Macabre, the side project of Masacre vocalist Alex Okendo. Primarily serving as a tribute to the South American death/thrash/black metal scene of old, you don't need me to tell you what the deal is here, let's just say that there aren't any prices for guessing what this is going to sound like.

Being the tribute it is to acts such as Sextrash, Vulcano, Calvary Death and of course Sarcofago, it will not come as a surprise that the music comes charging out of the gates in a primarily hammering rapid-fire attack, where frenzied blast beats, roaring vocals and simple yet effective chainsaw guitar riffing form the main ingredients. Everything rages on with seething malevolence for a big chunk of the music, but it would sell the band short to just write them off as purely a one-dimensional Sarcofago rip-off. Turns out, there's a bit more to their sound than that. In the relentlessly grinding tremolo picking there are traces of 90's black metal noticeable, think of bands such as Dark Funeral, Impaled Nazarene, and Enthroned on their early albums, and these elements somewhat alleviate the raw blackened death metal riffing that Morbid Macabre utilizes for a big part here. Yes, this is a battering dose of speed-drenched vitriol indeed, but amidst the punishing velocity that drives forth the track,s there is also room for slower stomp in the proud tradition of Celtic Frost/Hellhammer or Winter, establishing a good dose of variation, doing this without sacrificing any intensity whatsoever. This is a highly charged offering of old-school extremity, poured into sharp and straight-forward compositions that rely most on impact and aggression than anything else.

Although there aren't a lot of things that bothered me on this slab of atavistic primitivism, I could have done without the high shrieks that pop up regularly. You no doubt know what I mean here, the kind of high-pitched screams used in the 80s by Schmier of Destruction or Tom Araya before he became a tired old bore. These lend the music a speed metal touch that I certainly can appreciate, but the band employs it so often that it started to slightly grate my nerves towards the end. Apart from that small gripe, I'd say that Morbid Macabre absolutely nailed it here.

Production-wise this isn't to be sniffed at either. The music sounds powerful and especially convincing throughout, with starring roles for the guitars and vocals that are placed well in front of the music. The percussion has to take its place somewhat behind these two, but when viewed in its totality I have to admit that this is an approach that works very well. The music batters, rips, and roars, and that is exactly the way I want to hear this kind of stuff.

On this offering, Morbid Macabre easily surpasses their debut album, with a better, more powerful sound, as well as taking a good step forward in both music and compositions. This is a blast of sonic violence that I would (and will) totally recommend to those into Impiety, Zygoatsis, Sacrocuse, Anal Vomit, and others in the same vein because that wis hat Alex and his crew of troublemakers offer up here can easily compete with those acts mentioned.

Rating: 8 out of 10