Belgium: Home of legendary waffles, beer, and metal. With a dynasty that includes Acid, Killer, Ostrogoth, and Cyclone, there’s some pretty big shoes to fill when it comes to keeping the Belgian metal faith alive in 2020. Bütcher is up to the task. On their second album, 666 Goats Carry My Chariot, they’ve created an album bound to please the metal gods of the past and keep the current legion of maniacs raging into the future.
The album begins with an intro, “Inauguration of Steele”. Despite being only a little over a minute long, it harkens back to the days of when an intro could make the entire album that much more special. Could you imagine Screaming for Vengeance without “The Hellion” or Shout at the Devil without “In the Beginning”? Then we dive head first into speed metal hell with “Iron Bitch”. Listening to this track I couldn’t help but wonder: Is this 2020 or 1985? These guys have the Show No Mercy era Slayer sound down to a tee, but with even flashier guitar solos! Other than that, we’ve got raw production, lyrical content ranging from evil to metal, and the feral vocals of R Hellshrieker.
The SNM vibe continues for a few more songs. However, on “Sentinels of Dethe”, I noticed a slight black metal tinge. Could this signal the remainder of the album’s course? It turns out it does. By the end of the album, Bütcher has us convinced we’re listening to a bonafide first wave of black metal relic. Among these blackened tracks is the centerpiece of the album, the title track. I’d call the song epic, but I feel I’d almost be doing it a disservice since that term is thrown around so carelessly today. All I can say is listen for yourself. Clocking in at a little over 9 minutes, it’s loaded with acoustic guitars, haunting riffs, and eardrum piercing vocals that’d make King Diamond proud. I can’t help but compare it to the long, multifaceted suites of Mercyful Fate (“Satan’s Fall”) and Bathory (“One Rode to Asa Bay”).
With 666, Bütcher has created an infernal beast of an album. There’s only one way to listen to it and that’s loud and proud! How loud you ask? Loud enough so the fine people of Belgium can hear what fierce metal their country is breeding all these years later.
8 out of 10
Label: Osmose Productions
Genre: Black/Speed Metal
For fans of: Show No Mercy era Slayer, Bathory, Aura Noir