Goatmoon's debut album "Death Before Dishonour" is probably the band's most well-known release, and interestingly, it's also the one that differs the most from the rest of Blackgoat's catalogue. If I had to describe this full-length with just two words, I'd say "unbridled rage" are those that fit it best: don't jump in expecting any folk instrument, clean vocals or melancholic acoustic passages, because you're going to find nothing but some of the rawest, most primitive and spiteful black metal ever recorded.
At this time in the project's history, Blackgoat was still playing all the instruments by himself, and he hadn't started to resort to session musicians yet: nonetheless, despite the lack of technical prowess, both the songwriting and the execution of the tracks are nothing short of excellent. The music on "Death Before Dishonour" is riff-centered, violent, warlike and aggressive; the guitar work draws influences from punk, but also from second-wave black metal albums; still, the compositions retain an overall melodic approach, typical to the Finnish scene.
The vocals are vitriolic, and the extremely fuzzy and lo-fi production only emphasizes the ferocious attitude of the songs. The drumming is also quite different from the following Goatmoon albums, being performed, as I mentioned earlier, by Blackgoat himself: it's typically sticking to mid-tempos, there's not much double bass drumming, but rather a large use of crashs and cymbals, to add a dramatic and chaotic feel to the already dark compositions.
The platter stays strong throughout the whole duration of the record, with relentless tracks such as "Blackmetal Winter" and "Kunnia, Armageddon!" having become real classics of the band; however, it's in songs such as "Light Will Not Be", "Humanhate Grows Strong Within" and "Rite of God Deny" that the even darker, more sinister side of Goatmoon's music is shown, as well as in the album's title track, that shines thanks to its uncompromising, belligerent attitude.
All in all, there's plenty to like about "Death Before Dishonour": a flawless, legendary album, and one of the most consistent and well-crafted pieces of raw black metal ever composed. If you like your black metal caustic and uncompromising, dark and full of hatred, you can't miss this one.
Sample: youtube.com/watch?v=2wzBFAlPKRo
