Year of the Goat – The Unspeakable (2015)

Hailing from Sweden, today we have Psychedelic/Occult Rockers Year of the Goat peddling their craft with “The Unspeakable”. Having loved their 2011 MCD “Lucem Ferre”, we were looking forward to this one for quite a while. Creating a special aura filled with an authentic retro vibe and a high emphasis on melody, the nine tracks presented in this release are magical and intoxicating.

Slowly building up a very mysterious ambiance with “All He Has Read”, the band sets a magical shroud of mystery around their album early in the game. Combining elements of bands like Witchcraft, Purson, Jess and the Ancient ones, tracks like “Pillars of the South” and “The Emma” are haunting and very authentic sounding. Thomas Sabbathi is one hell of singer and his vocals greatly elevate all the songs in this album while giving them a very eerie vibe.

Filled with playful guitar leads, “Vermin” and “The Wind” nicely set a more upbeat mood with a full-on Psych Rock atmosphere that will appeal to any fan of the genre. Focusing on subtle but catchy elements, the band makes each track a very unique listening experience while crafting a very characteristic sound for them. A personal favorite is “Black Sunlight” with its brilliant catchiness and excellent use of the mellotron.

As the album comes to a close with the magical “Riders of Vultures” we are left very satisfied with this release. The band has managed to really hone into their sound and create a very crisp and authentic musical experience for the listener. Every track in “The Unspeakable” is a force to be reckoned with and features tons of small elements to discover in successive listens. If you like Psychedelic/Occult Rock, there is no excuse for you to miss out on Year of the Goat’s best musical effort to date.

Label: Napalm Records

Release: July 31st, 2015

Genre: Psychedelic / Occult Rock

Country: Sweden