Al Necro here. Ghoulgotha in the house, meatheads! Dark Descent Records just recently released Ghoulgotha’s full-length for 2015, after the band released two quality EPs this past year. One of which is up for review right here, right now – a 7” EP called Prophetic Oration of Self.
Only two tracks on this Calgary-crusher, it is still an addictive slab of quality osdm. Listen, lunatics, if you’re waiting for Lamb of God to play anti-technical shit, you musn’t hold your stinky breath for another minute. Ghoulgotha are your death/doom act with instant kvlt credibility, so anyone lining up for Katy Perry better line up for the lockers for some wimp-ass stuffing this New Year. Better than that, all you jocks into Maroon 5 and Dave Matthews Band, tell your girlfriends your musical preferences so you can go back to being virgins. Ghoulgotha is not for guys who want to blend in and give safe answers so their poser friends continue to hang out with them.
Seriously, Al Necro has been riding a dark, death metal wave of violence on Blood Harvest Records’ Bandcamp site so flock over there, legions, and listen to some quality osdm for fans of the trve. Really, DIY labels and CvltNation.com rule. You won’t find record stores that sell bestselling shit anymore because of fuckers who steal from bands and labels, so support the underground bands you love or for the love of Satan, stay away from our scene altogether and gtfo!
Ghoulgotha play a little Incantation homage on Prophetic Oration of Self. They play dark, gritty, manic-depressive blast and stop riffs that sound absolutely bipolar. There aren’t too many groove sections on here, and it’s not the catchiest osdm album you’ll find, so don’t expect old-school Cannibal Corpse sing-along anthems on this EP. The doom moments sound slightly discordant and the faster sections feature some sixth-string worship for maximum heaviness. The vocals are diverse, ranging from guttural growls, to harsh rasps. The raspy vocals still make an attempt to enunciate, so light the candles and enjoy the Luciferian litanies, or y’all can watch Married With Children and listen to Al Bundy instead of Al Necro’s various sermons.
The production is just raw enough to capture that old, menacing osdm sound. The rhythm section features throbbing bass and punchy fill-ins that showcase nice tom hits from the drummer. If I had a bone to pick here, I’d say the eponymous drum roll that most drummers hate to use but have to at times, might be better off being diversified some. But, the tempos change and the riffs come in a bucketload per song. Overall, it’s all good here, fuckers, as there are only two tracks of cvlt osdm to enjoy in this EP, and neither is a disappointing listen. Pray to the god below for more from Ghoulgotha in the coming years. Start here, and then check out their latest from Dark Descent Records.
