(c) ACxDC
The signs are favorable for Demoncore again. Almost four years after “Satan Is King” come forward ACxDC as loudly as usual and any expectations of power violence are once again turned into the opposite. For their latest prank, the quartet from California scales back the absurdity of their usual difficult-to-understand lyrics and now tries to explore the depths of depression in a more emotional way – albeit with familiar sarcasm. And yet sounds “GOAT” as loud, as uncomfortable and as chaotic as ever.
17 songs in 23 minutes, plus all kinds of guests from bands like No/Mas, Gulch, Undeath and Greenwitch – you know what you’re getting, and it’s damn loud. “Wanna See A Dead Body?” The title immediately reveals where the journey is headed, accompanied by a deathgrind steam hammer including an angry stomper insert. “Clout Chaser” is quite entertaining and catchy with its mixture of hellish sprints and almost casual, laid-back hardcore punk inserts. In the precursor “Thot Police” ACxDC find the necessary balance, even grooving a little at times and then completely turning the wheel again.
This album continues in this form, with the final “Expired” even reaching the two-minute mark and thus being almost epic. A rollercoaster of emotions and tempos accompanies the action, opening up crusted wounds, only to stutter in the next moment and destroy in a long fade. “Fairweather” also approaches the “extra length” and grooves like hell, while the double bass is played according to all the rules of demonic anti-art. Guttural, hoarse vocals bring in the necessary foulness.
No surprises, just uncompromising madness: ACxDC are once again taking no prisoners, being more cynical than ever and winning with increasing enthusiasm. No, “GOAT” doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but it still creates fresh accents of power violence and knows how to entertain from the first to the last second. Even after more than two decades, the US veterans remain the guarantors of the most digestible mindfuck in the brutalosphere.
Rating: 8/10
Available from: April 26, 2024
Available via: Prosthetic Records (Cargo Records)
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ACxDC
Category: Magazin, Reviews