Von Goat - Disappear

Von Goat is a side project by Goat, the notorious (some would say Infamous) vocalist of the Black Metal band Von. Von Goat emerged in the Black Metal scene in 2010, as did Von Venien a side-project on Venien, and has remained a relatively underground Black Metal band compared to the popular new-wave Black Metal.

Von Goat is known for extreme minimalism and very evil and atmospheric production, as they demonstrated in their previous album, Septic Illumination.

If the first album by Von Goat, Septic Illuminations was very decent second-wave Black Metal, this one is a major change of directions, as the band separates itself from traditional Black Metal.

A little more about this album, which has been considered by many of the underground Black Metal community has refreshing, innovative and the future of Black Metal. I wouldn't say it's has revolutionary as the Satanic Blood demo of Von, but it certainly marks a new direction in the Black Metal musical scene.

One would have assumed that with all the controversies around the return of Von and Von Music Group, Von Goat would have pursued in the same second-wave raw evil riff style of it's predecessor (Von), simply to confirm that they still could play the music.

Yet, the newest album produced is far from anything similar or even comparable, in all Black Metal, or any musical genre as a matter of facts.

Composed of very unorthodox writing style combined to a drone-like continuous drumming, Disappear separates itself from anything ever attempted by any Black Metal band.

Von Goat here produced a visionary masterpiece, and gave a new direction to the raw Black Metal movement.

The overall production is trance-like, and more than atmospheric, the surreal sounding and rotting atmosphere of dissonant and chaotic riffs invites the listener straight to hell. You can even notice the smells of blood and sulfur, as you travel deep into the thirty minute long album Disappear.

If the album appears very atmospheric at first, it is also extremely technical. Whether for the guitars, on tracks like Disappear or Intercourse, or the drumming, where once again Blood proves that technical drumming has it's place in minimalist Black Metal.
Concerning the vocals, Goat took another full-turn in his musical style. Going from the guttural style predominant in Satanic Blood, to the Gollum-like growls in Septic Illuminations, to finally morbid and evil gasps that remind you of a dying ghoul releasing the last remains of air of his lungs.

The vocals are also more monotonic, throughout the album, and as much as I like bands that have a wide range of vocals, as Ceremonial Castings for example, this similitude of the vocals serves the album well in terms of atmospheric staging.

For more information on Von Goat Disappear you can check out this page.