When occult rock mania hit full stride around 2012, Year Of The Goat were way ahead of most of their peers in both quality and impact. On their debut album, Angels’ Necropolis, the satanic vibe was massive, the vocals were audio honey, and there was a genuine warmth to the recording that gave off authentic lava lamp 70’s ambience without ripping it off. They exemplified everything great about this dark music, and the hype was real.
Their 2015 album, The Unspeakable, didn’t show much progression for a band that had all the right moves, but Novis Orbis Terrarum Ordinis goes above and beyond. There is not one song on this album that won’t get stuck in your cerebellum, thick with earworm sauce and stacked with radiant choruses. Thomas Sabbathi has a mean bastard of a voice and yet there are times when he soars with the angels, and the vocal melodies are pure gold. The band are as tight as a hipster’s corduroys, building each other up and weaving down with ease, and the production is large and moistened with analogue goodness. It’s tough to single out the big songs here because they’re all so damn good, but the big hitters are ‘Avaritia’, ‘Superbia’, and ‘Luxuria’. The right thing to do, however, is lay this beast on headphones from beginning to end, and magical things will occur.
If the world was a fair and just place, Year Of The Goat would top the album charts in every country for creating music this incredible and focused, earning millions and saving lives as they did so. Unfortunately, they remain an underground darling, which just makes them flat-out special. Do yourself a favour and get your grubby hands on this beautiful, evil record – it will change you, guaranteed.
Novis Orbis Terrarum Ordinis is out 6th Septmeber via Napalm Records and can be purchased here.
Words: John Morrow
