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Reviews:
Goatvargr | Goatvargr
From Phosphor:
Goatvargr is a co-operation project between
the Swedish musician Nordvargr and his American colleague Goat. This duo
comes up with a harsh noise album. The album features powerful white noise,
destroying everything, as well as rhythmic episodes. Two musical directions
that differ considerably. Nevertheless an album with just brutal, relentless
noise would have been too much; by injecting a noise eruption regularly,
the harsh mechanical rhythm patterns get more power. |
From Filth
Forge: (by Simon V.)
A luxurious pitch black digipack encloses
the first release by a new entity called Goatvargr. It's easy to guess
that the music featured on the CD is the result of a crossed collaboration
between Scandinavian master of black ceremonies Nordvargr and American
ultra noise-maker Andy O'Sullivan, aka Goat. If you already know these
two sinister individuals, it won't come as a surprise that this joined
effort was born under the sign of Satanism, clearly shown by the Pentagram
printed on the disc and the quite explicit titles.
Goatvargr's sound could be described as the barbarically amplified
result of the two members' combined capacities, spawning a deafening wall
of horrendous and distorted decibels that gives the poor listener no rest.
A certain amount of rhythm and structure can be spotted in the first tracks,
like opening "Goatlord Rising", following "Fik" and
"Realms Of The Goatvargr", while "Filthdaemon" or
"Droning Hades" completely drop any rational approach to sink
into pure, screeching, ear-scraping noise. Incredibly long "Beyond
The Quorthonian Realms" appears to be equally split between the two
authors, with the initial minutes for the first time turning down the
volume to embrace darker and more atmospheric territories, soon towered
by a sloppy hurricane of monstrous distortions. Final "Drunk On The
Blood Of The Goat" is closer to power-electronics and also the only
track where a clear and nearly danceable rhythm surfaces under the noise
structure, and the frequencies never pass the limit of ear tolerance.
This first Goatvargr release could be hardly called a milestone:
since there are no vocals, lyrics or references of any kind, the Satanic
concept is nothing original or very intriguing, and the music itself offers
no distinctive variations from the tons of noise CDs released everyday.
Nordvargr has done a lot better in several of his solo works, as well
as with Mz.412. Therefore, this release is essential to fetishist completists
of mr. Björkk's and mr. O'Sullivan's mastodontic productions, but
unfortunately doesn't offer very much to all the others. |
From Exoteric:
Goatvargr. Goat incontra Nordvargr. È
ancora vivo il ricordo massiccio dell’ottimo Incinerator International,
collaborazione americana-svedese tra il suddetto mister Enrik Nordvargr
ed il true crime electronics Slogun. E non potevo dare un caloroso benvenuto
a questa nuova collaborazione transoceanica sponsorizzata dalla prolifica
etichetta inglese Cold Spring.
Le aspettative non sono state deluse, le singole menti coinvolte
nel progetto sono riuscite a creare un album ben bilanciato nelle nette
differenziazioni che Goat e Nordvargr possiedono individualmente, ma va
comunque notata una distanza fin troppo netta nel risultato globale. Il
sound del texano è molto lontano dalle più cupe soluzioni
musicali del ben più noto svedese e si sente chiaramente nelle
note di “Goatvargr”. L’assetto più harsh ed anarcoide
del texano si salda prepotentemente con i suoni più ombrosi e granitici
del prolifico scandinavo. Senza che uno violenti l’altro. Si parte
con “Goatlord Rising”, un intro marziale che si scontrerà
con passaggi più harsh introdotti da uno stridulo fischio. Se “Fix”
tende a dar manforte a Nordvargr con pulsanti battiti death industrial,
la successiva “Realms of the Goatvargr” entra improvvisa con
distorsioni e pedal noise per cadere in seguito in oscuri passaggi ambient
dal timbro luciferino. Ottima “Droning Hades”, piglio ambient
e tenebroso ma non privo di cattiveria ed aggressività con stilettate
distorsive in primo piano. Finale dedicato ad una lunga “Beyond
the Quortorian Realms”, oltre dodici minuti che partono con pudore
e sfociano subito dopo in una bolgia harsh noise senza fine, un contributo
che vede la mano di Goat, ma Nordvargr ritorna prorompente nella conclusiva
“Drunk on the Blood of the Goat”, una breve traccia percussiva
che trova piccoli riferimenti in alcune cose di Haus Arafna senza raggiungere
i picchi del duo tedesco. |
From GothTronic:
(by Erik)
Henrik Nordvargr Björk has to be one
of the most well-known and prolific names in the post-industrial music
scene. Recording under various guises (Folkstorm, Toroidh, Mz.412, Nordvargr,
to name but a few) he has becom an acclaimed artist of the above mentioned
genre.
But Goatvargr isn’t just a solo project of mister Nordvargr.
It is a collaboration between the in America active Goat, a person which
I never heard of before, and Nordvargr himself. Unfortunately I can’t
say anything about Goat’s solo work but the result of this collaboration
has turned out to be very positive. Working with each others material
they offer a brutal and violent album. Containing seven tracks with a
total duration over forty minutes it has become not just a head on noise
album, but a refined and high quality symphony of bestial, worship and
violence with a satanic and apocalyptic undertone which can be felt in
every single song. To have an impression of this undertone just take a
look at the titles, for example Goatlord Rising and Filthdaemon.
If you are a fan of Nordvargr his projects, especially Mz.
412, you can purchase this cd limited to a thousand copies blindly. If
you are not just listen to this album and you might become a fan! |
From Ritual:
(by Stefano Morelli)
Praticamente in concomitanza con la pubblicazione
dell'ultimomo MZ.412, cui vi rimandiamo in questo stesso numero Nordvargr
ha ben pensato di stringere amicizie significative anche in territorio
atlantico, e precisamento con tale Goat. Ne è risultata una sperimentale
prova d'esordio che si allinea per attitudine e predispozione power noise
panica ai migliori MZ.412, quelli apocalittici, ferali, nichilisti di
'Burning The Temple Of God', nonché alla folle psicosi urticante
di Slogun. Sette salmi in totale che aprono simbolicamente i veli del
subconscio, ridestano terrori ed incubi atavici, conducono alla glaciale
prova degli inferi. Un richiamo sonoro vincolante per i seguaci dell'ambient
noise industriale più efferato e che conferma, se ancora ce ne
fosse la necessità, quanto lo spirito deviante,, iconoclasta e
oppositore (satanico) del black metal possa rintracciare nei linguaggi
oltranzisti e sperimentali un rinnovato equilibrio nei riguardi della
propria identità. Vivamente consigliato, in coppia con 'Infernal
Affairs'. |
From Maelstrom:
(by Larissa Glasser)
This duo is composed of Nordvargr (Sweden)
and Goat (USA), and their writing/recording process apparently involves
sending tracks to one another, each responding to the other’s foundations,
elaborations, and sacrament. The result is a multi-layered, harsh squelch
intended for fans of those high priests of black noise drone, MZ.412.
Goatvargr’s imagery plays more at underground black metal than suit-and-tie
assembly or anonymizing hooded monk gear (think Akercocke in reverse),
but their music is suitably bleak and serrated.
These seven tracks map out a severely disturbed psychic landscape,
more synthetic than organic (although some limited sampling comes through),
with latent radio interference popping up like a gopher, and within the
blackened ritual is a celebration of severe cruelty. |
From Dside:
Goatvargr (2006 Cold Spring), nasce dalla
collaborazione tra Henrik Nordvargr Björkk, assai noto nell'ambiente
dark/industrial per i suoi numerosi progetti — Mz412, Hydra Head
9, Folkstorm, Toroidh — e Andy O’Sullivan (Goat), artista
americano interessato soprattutto alla musica noise. Il brano d’apertura
'Goatlord Rising', ci catapulta senza indugio in un caos sonoro quasi
infernale, interrotto unicamente dall’utilizzo dell’elemento
percussivo, che non sembra lasciarci alcuno scampo. Pur essendo interessante
il modo di utilizzare i suoni, l’album patisce il rifugiarsi quasi
ossessivo nel solo rumorismo, che porta ad annullare la tensione, la forza
e l’impatto suscitati. Un esempio in questo senso, è il brano
'Filthdaemon' che soffre come di una sorta di non-chiarezza compositiva
e finisce con il non trovare una sua struttura espositiva. Difatti, l’attorcigliarsi
nel rumore non riuscendo a svilupparsi è condannato a rimanere
a uno stato prettamente embrionale, perdendo così del tutto l'emozione
del particolare. Risultano invece efficaci proprio i momenti in cui, stemperatosi
il fragore, si lasciano affiorare i singoli suoni, che seppure lontani
e come sbiaditi, rimangono densi di pathos. Sono proprio questi dettagli
sonori a conferire dinamicità all’intero lavoro, rompendone
la struttura portante ed evitando così il cadere nella pura ripetizione.
Indicativi in questo senso sono i brani 'Droning Hades' e 'Beyond The
Quorthonian Realms'. È proprio quest’ultimo, con i suoi 10
minuti, uno dei pezzi più riusciti — voci umane si mescolano
a versi animali, finché le voci, persa la loro caratteristica più
umana, sembrano diventare come grida impersonali, ma assolutamente lancinanti,
intense e spaventose. L’album si chiude con 'Drunk On The Blood
Of The Goat', dall’andamento potremmo dire più morbido ma
non meno tagliente. |
From Medienkonverter:
(by Veit)
Wer mit dem Namen Goatvargr nichts anfangen
kann... kein Wunder, das Projekt ist neu und der Name eine Wortschöpfung.
Bei manch einem mag es irgendwie klingeln. Auch das ist kein Wunder, schließlich
ist der Name zusammengesetzt aus den beiden Bandnamen Goat und Nordvargr,
dem einen von Henrik Nordvargr Björkks unzähligen Projekten,
dem mit Goatvargr nun ein weiteres zur Seite gestellt wird. Goat und Nordvargr
haben Filesharing betrieben und zur gegenseitigen Verstümmelung zusammengetan.
Einer bearbeitete jeweils die Stücke des anderen. Sie selbst bezeichnen
das Ergebnis als 'Satanic Industrial Noise'. Die Musik, wenn man die Geräusche
so bezeichnen mag, ist aber weniger satanisch, sondern bekam den Titel
wahrscheinlich nur, weil schlichtweg keine andere Beschreibung dazu passt.
Krach würde es auch treffen, ist aber weniger pathetisch und deshalb
hat man auch gleich das gesamte Artwork des Digipacks dem Gehörnten
geweiht. Ob der sich über das Pentagramm auf der CD freuen würde?
Goatvargr ist ein Gewitter aus Verzerrungen und Rauschen, mal mehr,
mal weniger schmerzhaft. Bisweilen muten die Tracks ungewohnt rhythmisch
an und zeigen ein wenig Struktur. Natürlich gibt es auch wieder extrem
hohe Frequenzen für den Hörtest. Und manchmal hört man
den Tracks sogar die gewollte Affinität zum Metal an. Was allerdings
die Schafe am Ende von "Beyond The Quorthonian Realms", wissen
wohl nur die beiden Protagonisten, vielleicht Wölfe im Schafspelz?
Aber das auf 1000 Stück limitierte Debüt des Duos ist gar nicht
so platt, wie man es vielleicht vermuten würde. Noise und dunkle
Drones, Verzerrtesd und ein paar Samples machen das Album überraschender
Weise wirklich hörenswert. Ok, hörenswert ist etwas übertrieben,
denn nur die hartgesottenen Noise-Liebhaber werden auf ihre Kosten kommen.
Alle anderen dürften sich fragen, wie viele Platten Herr H.N. Björkk
noch veröffentlichen will, bis er mal etwas sinnvolles fabriziert.
Also bleibt als Fazit nur zu sagen: Nicht über das selbst gesteckte
Ziel hinaus sondern dran vorbei, aber immerhin die Richtung hat einigermaßen
gestimmt. |
From Monas:
Goatvargr is Goat (USA) and MZ.412, etc.
(Swe), so you may know what to expect. This untitled album contains about
45 minutes of very heavy industrial noise. Some (parts of) tracks (such
as the beginning of the cd) are nice and dark, other tracks are too chaotic
noise for my taste, but the heavy industrial beats make Goatvargr better
to endure. For the lovers of extreme electronics. |
From Funprox:
(by VW)
Goatvargr is what you get when you mix Swedish
Henrik Nordvargr Björkk with American Andy O’Sullivan (a.k.a
Goat). Henrik Nordvargr Björkk has been active for some time with
his highly acclaimed projects Folkstorm, MZ412, and Toroidh. Goatvargr
adds to Nordvargr’s long list of collaborations across noise-industrial
boundaries. O’Sullivan has a background of playing drums in bands,
influenced by all styles, while his Goat project has been up to this point
readily filed under noise - fast becoming recognized as one of America’s
better noise acts.
Goatvargr delivers on all expectations. “Goatlord Rising”,
the intro track, begins with dark ambience, adds a hypnotic beat, and
finishes with a sharp splinter of noise. “Fix”, combines a
down-tempo drum track with an almost hip-hop drum kick, some distorted
voicing, plus a mass of heavy distortion everywhere else. “Realms
of Goatvargr” starts with a rhythmic industrial pulse, declines
into pure noise, and settles down with some soothing ambience. “Filthdaemon”,
on the other hoof, is nonstop madness.
“Drunk on the Blood of the Goat” is maybe the
most rhythmic and club friendly tracks, making it also one of the most
listenable. “Beyond the Quorthorian Realms”, at close to thirteen
minutes in length, is the most epic of the tracks. It breaks from the
a-musical nature of the rest of the album with an intro that features
an orchestral-like chorus of strings, but soon draws upon the doom of
pulsing power electronics.
Music this intense always requires a response. Mine: feed
the angry Goatvargr through sacrifice! |
From Judas
Kiss: (by LP)
There are those artists who seem to churn
out CDs, not because they have burning desire to share their musical visions
and prowess with anyone who many stumble upon their releases, but quite
simply because they can. Take Merzbow if you will. With a seemingly endless
back catalogue spanning 100's of CD and new releases emerging almost every
week, it doesn't matter if his releases are good, bad or indifferent,
he's Merzbow and he CAN so he WILL. I'm sure it's as simple as that. It's
now almost expected that he will release something every week or so, so
he does and it gives him a notoriety of sorts because of this. Following
closely in his footsteps is one Mr. Henrik Nordvargr Bjorkk. Initially
known for his work with not only MZ.412but also for Folkstorm, Nordvargr
has, over the last few years, recorded a torrent of CDs under almost as
many pseudonyms and has also recorded a collaboration with Mr 1000,000
releases himself, Merzbow (which was actually pretty damned good, but
then again it was on Cold Spring so you wouldn't really expect anything
else, would you??). So now Nordvargr is back with another new release
under another new name - Goatvargr, a collaborative recording with the
US purveyor of sonic noise, Goat. Looking very death metal with strong
satanic leanings in appearance, Goatvargr, delivers what you'd expect
when two exponents of noise get together and restructures each others
source material. It's brutal walls of noise, feedback, power electronics
and dense death-industrial that are thrown together with such a venom
and ferocity each element is compacted together and morphed into one quagmire
of distorted mass of sounds, which is as brutal and violent in nature
as you'd expect. What did surprise me, was that underneath a couple of
the tracks was a strong rhythmic base which wasn't too far removed from
the more nosey releases Ant-Zen has become renowned for. Of course this
rhythmic structure doesn't detract from the relentlessness of the sonic
barrages 'Goatvargr' produces, but instead adds another warped elements
to the proceedings. With a malevolently dark undercurrent throughout it
seems evident that Goatvargr is more than noise for noise sake, as it
produces a compellingly claustrophobic and intense edge with the ultra-dark
ambient segments that surface occasionally. An intense release that will
appeal, I'm sure, to people with intense and brutal tastes. Corpse paint,
bullet-belts and spiked gauntlets are of course optional.
|
From Obliveon:
(by MK)
Brutalste Rhythmus- und Noise-Attacken bietet
Goatvargrs neuestes gleichnamiges Album, und wer immer schon mal nachvollziehen
wollte, wie wohl die Apokalypse klingen mag: hier ist das enstprechende
Tondokument. Selbst die ruhigen Passagen sind von einer bedrohlichen Grundstimmung,
die aufgrund ihrer Intensität und in dem krassen Gegensatz zu den
unglaublich nervenzerfetzenden Distortionattacken absolut einzigartig
ist, während die immer wieder aufkeimenden Sprachfetzen wie verzweifelte
Schreie gequälter Seelen aus den Tiefen der Hölle nach Erlösung
klingen, was konzeptionell auch durchaus so beabsichtigt ist. Die bis
zur Unkenntlichkeit verzerrten Rhythmen könnten in ihrer Wirkung
extremer nicht sein und sind von einer Intensität, dass man hier
in der Tat von blutenden Ohren sprechen muss. Das Problem ist, wie bei
Power Electronics generell, dass man das ganze Geräuschinferno laut
hören und fühlen muss, um es wirklich zu begreifen und zu verstehen,
aber die Konsequenz, mit der Goatvargr hier den Untergang zelebrieren,
nötigt erheblichen Respekt ab. |
From SonidObscuro
(by Isis)
Es difícil pensar cómo plantearon
inicialmente la creación de sus trabajos estos dos prolíficos
artistas, pero Nordvargr, desde Suecia, y Goat, desde EEUU, decidieron
unir su creatividad y peculiar visión de la música en la
construcción de un nuevo estilo: satanic industrial noise. 'Goatvargr',
su álbum homónimo, es el resultado, con siete temas llenos
de ruido, bases rituales, frecuencias industriales, violencia y salvajismo.
Se plantea como un disco dedicado la figura del macho cabrío,
a las profundidades de la tierra y a todas las representaciones que han
existido sobre el infierno y su Señor. No caen, sin embargo, en
una parodia fácil de un sonido principalmente oscuro y violento,
sino que trabajan con otros medios. La opresión, las atmósferas
que van desde la inquietud hasta la grandiosidad, la gran la libertad
de cambios y la extrañeza que trae la quietud son sus armas. Su
capacidad de crear temas con innumerables capas entrelazadas donde un
sonido puede llegar potencialmente a convertirse en una obsesión,
y que nos producen numerosas referencias subjetivas consigue que el trabajo
de Goatvargr sea casi metamusical: demuestran cómo construyen a
cada paso un mundo distinto en cada corte y nos ofrecen una lectura a
través del título para imaginar cuál es el lugar
de donde debemos construir las referencias. Con esto consiguen un álbum
muy visual, que abre las puertas al oyente a ser inmerso y transportado
hacia el interior de su imaginación para hundirse dentro de sus
miedos y verlos con hostilidad desde otra perspectiva.
Hay temas que son más asequibles en su estructura.
En 'Fit' aparece un sutil trabajo vocal, y las bases son mucho más
regulares. Se convierte en un tema que se acerca al harsh noise, donde
el cierre atmosférico y decreciente consigue crear una sensación
de pérdida y descomposición. En 'Drunk on the Blood of the
Goat' encontramos también un planteamiento más rythm'n'noise.
Pero donde más interés producen es en su combinación
de momentos álgidos y agresivos con una capacidad de creación
atmosférica que roza una belleza melancólica. Aún
así, no hay que dudar que el disco es de ruido, a veces rítmico
y a veces libre, lleno de composiciones que producen angustia y desasosiego
y que llevan a un terreno donde, si quieres, la admiración puede
estar cogida de la mano con la desazón. |
From Orkus:
(By Thomas Sonder)
Schwer zu erraten dürfte es nicht sein,
was bei einer kooperation von Andy O'Sullivan aka Goat and Henrik Nordvargr
Björkk (Folkstorm, MZ.412, Toroidh, Naer Mataron, Thee Maldoror Collective
and viele weitere) entsteht: Lärm, Krach, Noise... Wenig originell,
dafür umso mehr verzerrte Rumpelkammer voll gepackt mit Abarten,
auf der Suche nach dem Bösesten Geräusch und fiesesten Pegel.
Stromkraft pur, hier und da ein Rhythmus oder gor ein Ansatz von Drone
- tatsächlich, ein Höllentrack (Droning Hades) ist
die Zecke von Goatvargr Ein winziges, aber bestialisches Noise
Ambient-Dreckstück beißt, un sich dann voll im knap 13-minütigen,
grandios brutalen Beyond The Quorthonian Realms zu entfalten,
einem hinterhältigen und grausamen Psycho-Spektakel, das sich zu
einer extremem Power Electronics-Orgie steigert und letztendlich in rauschendem
Noise-Gewitter und blökenden Goats verliert. Selbst wenn das abschließende
Drunk On The Blood Of The Goat ab seiner beinahe harmlosen Rhythm-Charakteristik
ein bisschen fehl am Platz wirtk, kann es die Gewalt dises Albums (auf
1.000 Einheiten limitertes Digipak) nicht dezimieren!
|
From Compulsion:
(By Tony Dickie)
Goatvargr is an unholy union between Goat and Henrik
Nordvargr Björkk. This isn't the first time that they have appeared
together - a split single between Goat and Nordvargr's Folkstorm project
was issued a few years ago. Goatvargr is the first collaboration between
the Swedish and American noiseniks, though, and its a hellish beast spitting
noise with sinister dark ambience and the occassional appearance of ritual
percussion. There's strong Satanic undertones here - the disc is adorned
with a pentagram - but aside from the bestial moaning that underpins a
number of tracks here much of Goatvargr could quite comfortably sit within
the noise genre. 'Filthdaemon' is awash with low end rumbling, crackling
textures and sheets of crunching noise punctuated by the odd feadback
squeal as it surges with ferocious intensity. A hovering mechanical hum
of black static interference creates the atmospheric noise of 'Droning
Hades'.
'Realms of the Goatvargr' is a careering wall of abrasive
noise, with high end frequencies slipping out. It subsides long enough
for groaning dark ambience and gutteral moaning. The entire Goatvargr
release is dedicated to Quorthon of Bathory who was found dead in his
Stockholm apartment in June 2004 and as is fitting the album hinges around
the expansive 'Beyond the Quorthonian Realms'. A threshing sound slices
through the shimmering ambience before it is obliterated with an unremitting
barrage of black noise. 'Goatlord Rising' offers pounding, rhythmic noise
augmented by varied shrill frequencies. There's a few moments of ambient
drone before abrasive atmo-noise coalesces over pounding ritual drumming.
A series of frequencies are unleashed on 'Drunk On The Blood of the Goat'
over a powerful electro-throb, and lashings of crunchy noise that eventually
succumbs before orchestral ambience blends into silence.
Goatvargr was constructed from each artist working the other's
source material so the darker material probably came from Nordvargr but
Goatvargr is a fine noise release that most noise connoisseurs will appreciate.
And if you're a satanically inclined black metal fan with a predilection
for noise then all the better.
|
From Sonic
Corpse Glide:
Goatvargr consist of Henrik Nordvargr Bjork and
a guy simply named Goat. Together they create a harsh and unrelenting
wall of noise that has a stark and grim and violent feel to it. Is it
(black) metal or is it noise? Well, I'd say it is a dark din they create,
and if you are familiar with Mr. Nordvargr's works, well then, need I
say any more?
I get feelings of emptiness and despair and
fear when I hear this kind of stuff, but it makes me feel human and calms
me down at the same time...maybe I'm nuts, but that's debatable (depending
on who you ask)... This release definitely doesn't lump these guys in
with any laptop hard-noise crowd that I can think of; maybe if Lustmord
was completely hate-filled or Satanic or something, but honestly you have
never heard a record like this. I'm definitely going to look for more
from "Goat" as this stuff is a hit for me. And once again, if
you haven't experienced Mr. Henrik Nordvargr Bjork, please do. I'd suggest
"Vitagen" as a starting point.
|
From Rock
Hard: (by Roberto)
Il rumore assordante dell'inferno si chiama
Goatvargr… ovvero l'unione tra Goat, creatura statunitense dedita
ad una sorta di industrialrituale, e Nordvargr, poliedrico artista svedese
che conosciamo anche (e non solo) per il seminale progetto MZ.412. Il
concept del disco è palesemente satanico, ed anche la musica sembra
possedere delle prerogative in chiaro stile 'evilindustrial- noise'; Goatvargr
è un assalto violento che lacera la psyche ed il corpo, sempre
e comunque lontano dalla malignità superficiale tipica di alcune
black metal band, alla luce anche di una proposta musicale davvero malsana
e deviata, senza mezzi termini! Tra i vari prodotti targati CS (label
assolutamente competente in materia eso-industrial), questo disco riveste
un ruolo del tutto particolare, perché rappresenta qualcosa di
totalmente diverso anche da un punto di vista concettuale…ma da
Goat e Nordvargr non potevamo aspettarci altrimenti. Edizione in digipack
limitata a mille esemplari, destinata ovviamente ai cultori dell'estremo
assoluto… |
From Absolute
Zero Media Magazine: (by Clint)
This is one fucking intense power electronics
journey and I expected none the less. Driving tones, Harsh feedback, crunching
rhythms and deep drones and that all in the 1st track. track 2 continues
from track one . You can really hear the collab of the 2 artists the more
rhythmic and experimental is clearly mister nordvargr. Where the more
harsh noise and screaming vocals are we get andy and the goat explosion.
Goatvargr is a bit more textural and dark ambient then I expected but
in a good way . Its reminds me of kervonian then other moments its a total
MZ412 attack. I will say Goatvargr is a compelling release with many stellar
moments. A Cold Spring release not to miss. Comes in a cool digipak as
well so points for that just alone. |
From NecroWeb:
(by Carnillion)
Als Rezensent sollte man möglichst objektiv
urteilen. Trotzdem wird eine Rezension immer subjektiv sein. Diese zwei
Sätze schicke ich dem folgenden Artikel fairerweise voraus, denn
was jetzt kommt ist ein Totalverriß.
Goatvargr machen Krach. Sicherlich könnte man das auch Avantgarde
nennen, oder simpler noch (und zutreffender) Dark Ambient, aber die Presseinfo
gibt ein Konzept vor, das ich beim besten Willen kaum wiederfinden kann.
Die Rede ist von einem brutalen, gewalttätigen Meisterwerk, einer
raffinierten Symphonie bestialischer Lust, Götzendienstes und Gewalt.
Dabei seien Goatvargr ein Angriff auf die Sinne, dem Metal- wie auch Noiseanhänger
gleichermaßen zugänglich. Nun, bis auf die pathetische Widmung
des glücklicherweise recht kurzen Albums, die dem verstorbenen Bathory-Mastermind
Quorthon zuteil wird ("In cold mourning of Quorthon, who's nightmarish
visions helped spawn the tyranthropic visions of the Goatvargr.")
und einem Titel mit Quorthons Namen darin verwurstet, bleibt der Metalappeal
rein äußerlich. Tatsächlich sieht die Platte aus wie 'real
true satanic Black Metal': schwarz-weiß, gothische Schrifttypen,
blasse Heiligenskulpturen und auf der Disk ein fettes Pentagramm. Inhaltlich
werden ein wenig Rückwärtsgesprochenes und ein paar blökende
Schafe (ausgerechnet bei "Beyond The Quorthonian Realms") untergemischt,
ansonsten passiert so gut wie nichts. Die beiden Protagonisten Goat aus
den USA und Nordvargr aus Schweden haben sich ihr rauschendes Material
hin- und hergeschickt und jeweils das des anderen bearbeitet. Damit haben
sie wohl nicht viel anfangen können, jedenfalls bleibt die Scheibe
konstant langweilig und vermag es mit seinen abgenutzten Soundelementen
keineswegs, die gesetzten Ziele zu erreichen, sondern kommt allenfalls
gelegentlich in Sichtweite. Wo ist die Wucht und Präzision des Metals?
Wo ist das intelligent verschachtelte Arrangement oder wenigstens die
fesselnde Atmosphäre, die guten Ambient ausmacht? Mit geschlossenen
Augen werden mir nur meine Ohrenschmerzen bewusst. |
From Aural
Pressure: (by ANM)
Goatvargr features the combined talents of
Henrik Nordvargr Bjorkk and A O’Sullivan. HNB, as any regulars to
this site will know, is one of my all time favourite artists. Fan worship
doesn’t begin to describe my obsession with the bearded (last time
I looked) wunderkid. Anyone else out there got his Sleep Therapy box set?
Thought as much. This great Swedish genius has repeatedly blown my mind
through his Folkstorm, MZ412, HH9, Econocon, Muskel, Incinerator International,
L/A/B, Toroidh, Nordvargr / Drakh, Merzbow Vs Nordvargr projects - not
forgetting his own solo releases. That is some résumé. But
this is a dual release, least we forget, and A O’Sullivan, although
sadly never featured in AP before, has also a fine musical heritage behind
him. The more inquisitive amongst you should check out the Goat "The
book of Revelations" release and the split with Steel Hook Prostheses
"‘Bloodletting the altar of lies" as proof of his raw
prowess. Both come highly recommended.
This seven tracked, limited to 1000 copies, release in a pitch
black digipak is a collaboration of the best kind. Working with each others
source material they have sculpted a titanic brutal aural assault to the
senses steeped in diabolic mysticism. An unrelenting, almost unbearable
at times, nerve shredding piece of work that encapsulates everything that
power noise addicts could ever desire. Monumental - in the truest sense
of the word - earth shattering electronics gone berserk. Seemingly out
of control, but firmly reigned by their skilled hands, this is the sound
of madness and rage let free to roam and destroy. The mind left raped,
shattered and mutilated by the unstoppable onslaught. Frantic maniacal
beats occasionally break up the hell spawned cacophony, the rarely included
distorted vocals adding to the darkest fiery atmospheres, and the lulls
before the storm (teasing lulls that promise respite but end up never
being granted), all add up to a recording that is, without doubt, a magnificent
tour de force within the power electronics genre. Could it ever be anything
other with these two horsemen of the apocalypse at the helm.
Power Noise recordings are easy to construct and produce,
but so difficult to master. I’ve lost count of the CDs within my
collection, and sent in for review, that have failed to ignite me in any
way. In talent free hands they become dull and unimaginative affairs devoid
of any flair and musicianship. Boring and patience sapping, the general
belief being that if it’s loud enough then that alone will suffice.
Wrong, wrong and fucking wrong again. Goatvargr shows how it should and
can be done. The music within this release elicits feelings of excitement,
the purest of adrenaline rushes, and the constant buzz of shock and awe.
It’s a head trip that demands constant replaying because you yearn
for further involvement with it. Noise has never sounded so right.
Not only should you seek this out immediately (like most Cold
Spring releases this will sell out very quickly) but also get the latest
Folkstorm release "Folkmusik" at the same time. Both quintessential
releases. I know this slightly breaks the reviewing rules, but what the
fuck, I’m just a teenage rebel at heart. |
From Neurozine:
(by John Wikström)
One thing. This is totally insane industrial madness.
And I love it. Nordvargr is one of my absolute favourites when it comes
down to noise and ambient and that's no secret and when he teams up with
Goat, who I also think is a great artist it can't go wrong.
Goatvargr is a record with seven tracks of industrial brutality.
Working with each others source material they composed one of the best
records this year. A collaboration which is more than succesful in my
opinion. For me, this is 41 minutes and 30 seconds of total satisfaction
for a starving industrial noise salve like myself.
My absolute favourite track on this record is 'Filthdaemon'
followed by 'Beyond The Quorthonian Realms' which is almost 13 minutes
long. I don't know what to say else but this is something of the best
I've heard in a long time. And this time I mean it.
|
From Guts
Of Darkness: (by Marco)
Tiens voilà que Nordvargr replonge
dans les vapeurs infernales, l'approche de la sortie du prochain MZ.412
peut-être. S'associant à l'américain Goat, notre géant
suédois nous livre un hommage très bruyant à feu
Quorthon de Bathory. Hommage qui sent le soufre et le pue le bouc forcément,
et les deux collaborateurs s'en donnent à coeur joie pour extirper
des entrailles de victimes tout juste consentantes (ici, nos oreilles)
les pires images infernales possibles. Peu d'apaisement ou de passages
ambient, il n'y a guère que 'Droning Hades' et le début
de 'Beyond the Quorthonian realms' qui en comportent. Intense et direct
l'exercice est à la mesure de son sujet, brûlant et impénétrable,
les murs de white noise servant d'ecran où se projettent abominations
et visions blasphématoires incandescentes. Si le suédois
nous a proposé bien mieux par le passé, cette collaboration
est cependant un bon défouloir et je suis certains que vous ne
tarderez pas à vous replonger dans vos vieux grimoires pour y trouver
quelque recette maléfique à l'écoute de cet opus.
|
From Twilight
Zone: (by Michele Viali)
Il duo Goatvargr è nato di recente
dall’unione di due menti: da una parte lo svedese Henrik Nordvargr
Björkk, molto noto per i suoi innumerevoli progetti, alcuni di gran
livello come Folkstorm e Toroidh, dall’altra Andy O’Sullivan,
in arte Goat, sperimentatore americano dedito essenzialmente al noise.
I due avevano già collaborato in un 7” split (ma Nordvargr
appariva allora nelle vesti di Folkstorm) e sono uniti da un interesse
“luciferino” che traspare anche dalla bella copertina con
artwork black metal.
Se da un lato Björkk propone un sound cupo, a tratti
ambientale e satanico che rimanda alle sonorità che furono di MZ
412, Goat aggiunge una feroce dose di rumore sulla scia di autori dell’estremo
oriente. Viene fuori così un disco sperimentale ma ibrido, in cui
non sempre si realizza l’amalgama tra i due autori, anzi, spesso
si avverte una rude sovrapposizione di stili diversi. La mia impressione
è che laddove affiorano più nette le movenze spettrali tipiche
di Nordvargr il CD acquisisce un taglio più definito e ascoltabile
e ciò avviene soprattutto nei brani Beyond The Quorthonian Realms
e Goatlord Rising, dove il rumore, dosato con più rigore, riesce
ad arricchire le composizioni. Mentre nelle restanti cinque tracce la
sovrapposizione impazzita di tante schegge sonore di stampo metallico
finisce per intaccare una qualità che affiora solo a intermittenza.
Ambizioso e a tratti innovativo, ma non per tutti i gusti:
consigliato a chi ama le releases estreme. |
From Synthesis:
(by Troy Southgate)
THIS Swedish-American collaboration involves
two of the world's most brutal purveyors of Noise, namely Nordvagr and
Goat respectively. Having already reviewed his excellent collaboration
with Merzbow ('Partikel'), which was also released on the Cold Spring
label, I was already familiar with Nordvargr's devastating craft and his
ability to work alongside other leading lights in this genre. Other projects
- such as those with Folkstorm, Toroidh and MZ.412 - have also converted
legions of warped disciples to the Nordvargr cause. The lesser-known Goat,
on the other hand, comes from a vaguely Black Metal background, although
many believe this has more to do with general aesthetics than with the
actual style of music on offer. However, the packaging certainly looks
like it wouldn't be out of place in a Black Metal collection, with images
of blades and spikes, a five-pointed star flanked by Hebraic symbols and
a hand-signal locked in the now semi-compulsory gesture of two demonic
horns.
The first of these seven tracks, 'Goatlord Rising', is a whispered mush
of faraway rustles and reverse speech. Soon enough, these early markers
are flanked by an electronic throb and continuous beeping, slightly rough
at the edges and losing their sense of co-ordination a little as significantly
harsher forms of interference muscle their way into the mix like an unwelcome
guest at an aural free-for-all. The whole shebang flattens out into a
steady ambience, a pancake of tranquility, but torrents of aggressive
feedback eventually flip everything 360 degrees until we enter a state
of crunching energy. Meanwhile, batten down the proverbial hatches, because
here comes the second 'Fix'. It's an immediate onslaught of Noise power
which throbs through the sewage works of your mind like a rubber turd
bouncing off the sides of your skull in a display of rhythmic cruelty.
I can imagine this being used in a chase sequence, although given the
metallic scraping in the background it would have to involve several cars
with their exhaust pipes hanging off. 'Realms of the Goatvargr' is even
livelier, a dozen coat-hangers in a tumble dryer grinding to a halt as
low groans appear to resemble a yawning Bagpuss disappearing beneath the
approaching mass of a five-ton steam roller. It's true, I tell you! 'Filthdaemon',
on the other hand, is like entering Goatvargr's Earl Grey period, as a
more traditional brew of Noise comes whistling from the tip of a giant
teapot like streams of radiation rushing towards a fresh crack in the
Chernobyl reactor. There are no points of reference here at all, just
total electronic wipeout. 'Droning Hades' seems far more restrained, a
slightly boisterous hum that sounds like Bomber Harris warming up the
engine of his Lancaster before psyching himself up for another night of
carnage and mutilation in downtown Dresden. But whilst there are one or
two radiophonic beeps milling about, on the whole it's a fairly low-level
affair that never really gets off the ground. 'Beyond the Quorphonian
Realms' is an obvious reference to Thomas 'Quorthon' Forsberg, the legendary
founder of Bathory and Black Mark Productions who died of heart failure
in 2004 at the tender age of 39. It is to him that this album is also
dedicated. The track conjures up images of omen-filled skies through which
shafts of bright sunlight come to rest upon melting snow, as a heavy-handed
beat begins to hammer its way through the semi-tranquil waters that continue
to shimmer with a light metallic ambience. But this romantic elegy is
shattered completely by a barrage of impenetrable sound that wavers between
and static interference and electronic frequencies. It's almost as though
somebody approached our discordant duo beforehand and said 'come on, do
your worst'. Play this at top whack and you'll create your own ghost town
within several minutes. Not a bad idea. As this track gradually controls
itself and fizzles out, my brain slowly returns to the comparative realms
of normality (as well as the sound of goats!) and I'm left rather shell-shocked
at the sheer power that just assailed my senses for a good twelve-and-a-half
minutes of total fury. 'Drunk on the Blood of the Goat' is, again, pretty
rhythmic in a strange kind of way and probably the closest you'll ever
come to tapping your foot on an album of this kind. Oscillating its way
through various tempestuous stages, it finally assumes an orchestral role
for a final fifteen seconds and soothes your ears as a parting shot. The
poison finds its own cure. Perfect. But no Black Metal here, missus.
|
From Musique
Machine: (by Roger Batty)
Goatvargr conjure up some great evil and
brutal atmospheres, mixing noise, ritualistic rhythmic patterns and dark
ambient sounds capes, along with touches of black metal. All of this makes
a great varied album, heavy with satanic air.
Droning Hades is built around wonderful black droning guitar feedback,
and flecks of noise, giving a great feeling of hovering blackness, which
fogs your head. Giving much the same feeling of a intro or outtro part
of a classic Darkthrone track. Beyond The Quorthonian Realms is the longest
track on offer, and is a wonderful concoction of eerier blackly curdled
ambience, heady with chanted vocal and animal sounds. It starts of slowly,
then bombards you with sheets of swirling noise, like you’ve conjoined
up the dark one, later on looped female screams are added, that are quite
unsettling, they soon become smeared into the noise. There are lots of
interesting elements dropping in and out of the noise and the noise its
self twist into interesting shapes like the sound of black metallic down
pours, machine gun like cluster of noise, drilling mix with streached
human screams. The track leads out with its ambient start and goats bleating.
The start of Goatlord Riffing sounds like what it might be like to swim
in a sea of moaning souls, along with backwards satanic voicing, then
a heart monitor and noise beat appear, swirls of static, build around
them, but it still keeps the eerier atmosphere, with glides along in the
back ground. One can Imagine footage of a dark ritual speeded up, faces
appear dripping with blood and other bodily fluids, and trails of candle
light, illuminating unspeakable acts.
A perfect soundtrack to what every devilry, you like to get up
to. A nice mix of brutality and tar black atmospheric. Which no doubt
could conjuring up all sorts of unpleasant imagery in the listeners mind. |
|
