[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he world of brutal death metal is one that I thrive greatly in. Everything that it encompasses brings unspeakable pleasure to me; the almost illogical approach to song writing, guttural vocals that do their best to mimic a garbage disposal backing up, taboo subject matter that would make any of us look like we should be confined to a small room with padded white walls, and the complete mastery of the musical instrument wielded by said composers. It has been a sub-genre that tries to push the boundaries of all human decency for years now, and after all this time I still never tire of the bombastic auditory holocaust that it brings. This is where Goemagot comes in.
Goemagot is a three-piece that has kept me enthralled with their demo “Parasitic Incineration“, which was released this past summer, and made me clamor with great fury for more. Now that they have released their greatly anticipated full-length “Eradication of Insignificant Beings“, I can safely say that it lives up to the hype it had received and then some. With an ambiance that would fit in Doom 64, ‘Arrival’ takes you straight into the beginning and thick slam of ‘Headless Prostitute Present’, and thus begins the “Eradication of Insignificant Beings” (see what I did there?). Continuing with the same musical scheme on “Parasitic Incineration“, Goemagot chooses to bludgeon the listener with blistering passages, meteoric scaling and tapping, and just out-right so-heavy-it-makes-you-legally-retarded slams. While this all may sound like standard fanfare for your average brutal death metal album, Goemagot has upped their game to a whole other level.
Not only has the group been able to come up with enjoyable material as a whole, but you can easily tell that each member has done their individual homework in continuing to perfect their specialized and sociopathic craft. Each note helps to complete the larger puzzle that makes up “Eradication of Insignificant Beings“. For instance, Cody McConnell (vocals, bass) has a few choice moments throughout the album that prominently puts him on display for the whole world to ogle at, and those opportunities are by no means wasted. Even Cody’s sewage vocals have gotten to be more guttural, and in my eyes that is always a plus. Matt Murphy’s riffing has improved tenfold by incorporating some different ideas in his writing, making sure to keep you on your toes at all times. This is particularly evident on tracks like ‘Too Decomposed To Rape’, ‘Stump’, ‘Progressive Regression Of Cognition’, and ‘Beg For Extinction’, just to name a few. Even Daniel Hemmerich’s drumming has become tighter and varied. There are times where he does just follow what the other two have given him, but never sleep on his ability to be the trail blazer, such as his lovable and bouncy Rompeprop-esque rhythm at the beginning of ‘Carnal Extirpation’. If that doesn’t get your head nodding back and forth in an epileptic seizure then you are irrevocably broken and should turn in your Death Metal Credentials, post-haste.
Now that I’m just about finished gushing over the music, I will now furiously masturbate to how well everything is mixed and mastered. The main thing that I love about the sound is Cody’s bass is not buried deep within this beast, but instead it is at the forefront with Matt and Daniel at an even stretch throughout the album. The sound is done so that it also helps to set itself apart from the rest of the usual brutal death metal horde, making “Eradication of Insignificant Beings” stand out to a great degree. Not only is Goemagot at the top of their game musically, but they know competent engineers that know how to make their hard work pay off in great dividends.
All in all, I knew this would be one of my most anticipated albums of 2013, but did I expect “Eradication of Insignificant Beings” to be this worthwhile? Yes, actually, I did. After having to get to know the band quite well, I can say with certain fact that they are never satisfied with just sticking to one sound, even after achieving the amount of underground success that they have. Constantly trying to push one another to their mental and talent limits, there is no stopping a group that is so focused on striving to get better in every facet of song-writing and playing. Goemagot are easily one of the hardest working bands in the underground scene today, and all of their hard work needs to be taken into account and show that while it may be incredibly stressful to create such a masterpiece, as long as you have clear and succinct goals, there is nothing that cannot be done. These three young go-getters (yes, I realize that I sound like a crochety 78 year old man after typing that phrase) are a beacon of hope for brutal death metal in the years to come, and “Eradication of Insignificant Beings” is where the barometer now sits.
Well, what are you waiting for, brutal death metal community? Get crackin’ and see if you can one-up these talented bastards.