Goatess - "II: Purgatory Under New Management" (Album Review)

By: Richard Maw

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 15/04/2016

Label: Svart Records

No doubt about it, this is a good strong record which fits into the doom bracket, but with plenty of psychedelia thrown into the mix and a Sabbath foundation. Try this out if you fancy a doom fix with a different approach- top quality stuff.

“II: Purgatory Under New Management” CD//DD//LP track listing:

1. Moth to Flame
2. Purgatory Under New Management
3. Murphy Was an Optimist
4. Crocodilians and Other Creepy Crawling Shhh…
5. Shadowland
6. Silent War
7. Wrath of God
8. Good Moaning 

The Review

These Swedish doom lords return with this full length beast. A bluesy start to “Moth to Flame” belies the downbeat doom sounds that are to come. Over the course of its ten minutes plus, the track builds effectively through drifting space rock to swinging grooves and beyond. Similarly, the title track is a dynamic affair with softer sections linking some riffier pieces with a spacey feel.

“Murphy Was an Optimist” kicks off with a big riff and some serious Sabbath worship to the rhythms. The vocals also echo the great Ozz-man in phrasing and delivery (no complaints from me). The track has a great feel and benefits from the direct approach employed. “Crocodilians and Other Creepy Crawling..”. has a fade in riff to start (nice) and then crashes in before mellowing out with water sounds and a sample voiceover. It is again quite a trippy listen; the feel of the album is kind of held together by that element- even through more straightforward fare such as “Shadowland”.

“Silent War” is a lumbering beast, clocking in fairly close to nine minutes. Great groove, great vocal and the band nails the feel completely. A real standout. “Wrath of God” ushers the clock towards ten minutes and retains the space rock feel of the opener. Perhaps think Monster Magnet's early (or recent) material crossed with Sabbath in the later Ozzy period as a reference point.

The albums waves goodbye (rather than saying Allo Allo!) with “Good Moaning” which features a pulsing groove and catchy vocal melodies. No doubt about it, this is a good strong record which fits into the doom bracket, but with plenty of psychedelia thrown into the mix and a Sabbath foundation. Try this out if you fancy a doom fix with a different approach- top quality stuff.

“II: Purgatory Under New Management” is available here

Band info: facebook