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Artist......: Funereus
Album.......: Return of the Old Goat
Year........: 2014
Genre.......: Black Metal
Type........: Album
Label.......: Forever Plagued Records
Language....: English
Source......: WEB/FLAC (16bit)
Quality.....: 909kbps / 44.1 kHz / Stereo
Tracks......: 7 tracks
Playtime....: 00:31:44
Size........: 217.9 MiB
R.Date......: 2026-07-24
S.Date......: 2014-09-08
Url.........: https://open.qobuz.com/album/jbzompws5m48i
01. Unhallowed Tomb 5:10
02. Prelude 0:22
03. Funeral Ghoul 4:51
04. Return of the Old Goat 5:26
05. Below the Horns of Blasphemy 6:29
06. Ascending the Throne of Satan 5:25
07. Umbra Atrox 4:00
The Forever Plagued label has put out some fantastic
extreme releases over the years, namely albums from the
likes of Graveland, Krieg and Nightbringer. Mexican duo
Funereus are the latest clan to be snapped up, and
Return Of The Old Goat is their sophomore effort,
following on from 2010's Profane Rite Of Morbid
Glorification which appeared under the Maleficium
Records roster.
Return Of The Old Goat comes complete with child-like
artwork, but this seems to add to the primitive charm of
this seven-track affair which begins with an unholy
racket entitled 'Unhallowed Tomb'. Forget atmospheric
introductions, Funereus come out spitting, flailing,
slicing, dicing and blasphemous from the off.
I'm particularly impressed by the gritty, scratchy
vocals and an underlying melody which gives the lo-fi
sound an almost punky quality. It's still a record that
does exactly what it says on the black metal tin -
horrible, scornful speed and a general sense of holy
mocking - but this is really entertaining and quite
frightful in its torment. One cannot argue with that
catchy riff. While I love black metal to be really
underground and raw in its production, Funereus manage
to combine a slicker guitar sound but still sport an air
of atrocity and grotesque primal rage in that aura.
'Prelude' is a strange 20-second or so interlude of
midnight growls which would have seemed better suited to
start the album, but as it leads into the brilliantly
hostile rage of 'Funeral Ghoul' I cannot forget this
nut-job group.
Return Of The Old Goat is the sort of grisly, nascent
black metal that has everything going for it, and when
such a framework of sound boasts such a hideous vocal
scratch, then you're onto a winner. Although
tremendously fast, there are some superb licks running
through this creature like some vein pumped with black
blood. The monstrous title track is a prime example of
how ghoulish, ancient black metal should be played. It's
right from the early-to-mid 90s made all the more
stingingly epic by the massive sounds of 'Below The
Horns Of Blasphemy' and the poisonous mayhem mantra of
'Ascending The Throne Of Satan'.
In fact, I cannot hail Funereus enough for its
propensity to slit the throat of its victims with such
vicious aplomb, but by the time it's over I'm straight
down the local pharmacy looking for the best packet of
throat lozenges money can buy. A nastily vitriolic
outing if ever there was one.