Do we ever stop musically evolving? Yes and no, I think that there are certainly those who stagnate and cease to indulge in anything new in as much as even later albums from the bands they enjoy. Yet to counter this there are people like myself hellbent on finding the next source of stardom. Even finding the next underground delight is a thing of much intrigue for me. As I’ve matured and become open to more releases also my penchant for new musical knowledge only ever grows.

Speaking of stagnating however and sticking with what you know come Bütcher, the Antwerp based Belgium Speed Metal maniacs. These guys know that sticking to your guns isn’t always bad, and with such members names detailed as KK Ripper and AH Wrathchylde it’s certain that these guys worship the old Metal gods. Having formed in 2002 only to split in 2007 the band had a shaky start. Yet 2017 loomed and the band arose again with their debut full length Bestial Fükkin’ Warmachine. Now as we enter 2020 the bands sophomore record comes to the forefront, 666 Goats Carry My Chariot races out of the gates of hell through Osmose Productions.

The introductory track Inauguration Of Steele is full of NWOBHM flare and a sort of nod to Medieval Steel in its spoken word portions, this is the sort of intro I can get behind. Iron Bitch however is the albums real opener, thrashing mad riffs circle through galloping drums. Then in comes the punchy somewhat blackened Proto-Black Metal vocals which soar with the vigour of the early German Thrash scene akin to Kreator mating with American Speed titans Agent Steel. Sadly though whilst the boxes are ticked the memorability is slightly lacking. 45 RPM Metal seeks to change this and gives us some catchy old school Metal flare in speed and ferocity.

Again this is short lived and the second half of the album appears less exciting than the first. This is a classic example of a band with exactly the right idea but not executing it properly. I often times feel with these newer ‘trve’ Metal acts that they forget that the likes of Priest, Venom and Fate got big through writing catchy bangers as oppose to relying on atypical troupes. Even the lengthy title track fails to land with any great splendour and serves only to appease those seeking ‘trve’ ideals. The final actual track Brazen Serpent is another full to the brim Metal meltdown of thrashing guitars, Speed Metal infused vocals and general purist might, but that’s all it is, the songwriting itself leaves little to be desired.

This is yet again another example of great sound being executed poorly. If you want a snapshot of real ‘trve’ Metal take a look at Midnight or High Command. Bands that haven’t forgotten that classic Metal is full of memorability and not just heaps of tried and tested themes that eventually become a parody of themselves. You can put on as many spikes and bullet belts as you like but if you can’t write nifty tracks that stick in people’s minds you’re going nowhere. I don’t mean that every band has to have songs with basic structure I just mean that there’s more to making music than relying on nostalgia, I would expect more from a release such as this.

(5/10 George Caley)

https://www.facebook.com/Butcherspeedmetal

https://osmoseproductions.bandcamp.com/album/666-goats-carry-my-chariot