Last month, Thirteen Goats stampeded out of Canada and onto the global metal scene with the hyperkinetic, politically-charged “Return To Ruin”. That single (from their upcoming debut record, “Servants of the Outer Dark”) was accompanied by an animated video that ended with a giant sunflower bursting out of Vladimir Putin’s skull—a deliberately unsubtle nod to the band’s Eastern European roots and aggressive anti-imperialist sensibilities.
The record’s newest single, “Unholy Mass”, takes the subgenre-hopping extreme metal maniacs in a different direction, momentarily setting politics aside to mount a blackened broadside against organized religion. Guitarist/vocalist Graham K. Miles explains in detail:
“This was the first song Rob [Fitz-Gerald, guitars/vocals] and I wrote together. He came up with almost all the riffs, and I wrote the lyrics, which tell the story of a priest determined to cleanse the world of sinners through gruesome murder. It’s about the hypocrisy of people who preach peace and love but enforce their values through violence. I also managed to sneak a Cryptopsy reference into the chorus—see if you can pick it out!”
The music itself combines sinister, slithering guitars with bone-breaking blast beats and some of the album’s most vicious vocals. According to Miles, “weird shit” happened while he was recording his takes—the studio lights kept flickering, and the temperature dropped noticeably. “I’m not superstitious,” he says, “but it felt spooky—like I wasn’t alone in there. And when I listened to the final tracks, they sounded a lot more evil than they had while I was doing them. So who knows?” he grins. “Maybe I had a little help from beyond.”
The single was written in a single session during the introductory jam between Miles and Fitz-Gerald, who are the band’s core songwriting duo. It cemented their friendship and got Thirteen Goats off the ground. Servants Of The Outer Dark is nine tracks of cathartic and multi-layered metal ranging from serious personal topics like suicide awareness on “Constant Torment” to balls-out camp on the hilariously literal “Vacuum-Induced Head Explosion”.
A hybrid of Florida death metal, UK grindcore, and classic ‘80s thrash, Thirteen Goats successfully combine their influences into something greater than the sum of their parts. They deliver an impressive force of blast beats, guitar solos, and grown men yelling ‘BLERGH’ alongside big, catchy hooks and choruses—maintaining the classic formula enough to impress old-school fans while keeping it fresh and accessible for newcomers.
BraveWords is premiering the lyric video for “Unholy Mass” – join the procession and watch below!
Servants Of The Outer Dark will be served up on July 1, 2022. Preorder on Bandcamp.
Tracklisting:
“Servant Of The Outer Dark”
“Challenge The Executioner”
“Return To Ruin”
“Prisoner’s Anthem”
“Sub-Being”
“Unholy Mass”
“Constant Torment”
“Vacuum-Induced Head Explosion”
“Through The Meat Grinder…The Recipe”
“Return To Ruin” lyric video:
(Photo – Caitlin Delaplace)
