Night Goat – Totem Review

The great Canadian Gordon Lightfoot once wrote of Lake Superior that, “the lake, it is said, never gives up her dead, when the skies of November turn gloomy.” That great sage and eminent curmudgeon Steel, by contrast, once spoke of the promo sump that “it’ll give up it’s dead alright. It doesn’t matter what month it is. Some are good. Most are awful. But you’d better like it!” While I prefer ol’ Gordo’s words, I’ve found Ally McSteel’s advice oddly freeing, inspiring me to pluck any old bobbing bit of madness from the moldy depths of the promo pit. What’s the worst that could happen? So when Honey Nut Steelios asked if anyone was interested in the sophomore full-length Totem by a band called Night Goat, I knew, based on the name alone, I had to have it. The album art didn’t hurt, reminiscent as it was of MaMa Doom’s killer debut, another album I picked based almost exclusively on the group’s moniker and spooky cover. Ten tracks and 42 minutes later, and I’ve formed my opinion. Just like Lake Superior, Totem is reluctant to give up its dead, but once it does, what lies beneath makes for an intriguing listen, even if Steel Big Fish is obligated to disagree.

Totem is a difficult album to pin down, probably because Night Goat are a difficult group to pin down. The promo material describes them as “abrasive, slashing, dark noise rock/death rock, with elements of goth, post-punk, and doom.” I think that’s as fitting a description as any, although I also hear no a small amount of sludge and hardcore creeping in from time to time. With eerie, sometimes mocking vocals, cacophonous, voice-driven soundscapes, and song titles like “Blood Circles,” “Ritual of Antlers,” and “Death Crow Dance,” you’d also be forgiven if you sensed a witchy, pagan, forest ritual vibe permeating the proceedings. This tone and the wide variety of genre-hopping certainly does the album good, and it’s one of the reasons I generally enjoyed each listen, even when things start to drag a bit on the back half.

You can’t really go wrong with the first four songs on this album. “Sister Wolf,” “Ghost Sickness,” “Wendigo” and “Blood Circles” set a high mark, and keep you coming back for more. “Sister Wolf” introduces 70s-inspired grimy riffs alongside screams and yowls that perfectly fit the overall tone of the song. And while the cleans on “Ghost Sickness” are a bit suspect, the off-kilter approach works within the album’s established atmosphere. “Blood Circles” picks things up while being a slower, doomier tune, complete with an eerie, dual vocalist chant that evokes the twins from the Shining, only instead of holding hands, they’re reaching hungrily for your neck. And while I could do without the random hardcore shouts, the coven-core chorus more than makes up for it, and these out-of-place barks aren’t enough to derail the track.

In actuality, the derailment is built into the very foundation of Night Goat’s sophomore effort. “Child of Owls” is a solid tune, but the consistent pace and repetitious riff makes the 5-minute and 28-second tune feel much longer. This same problem holds true on “Ritual of Antlers,” which also falters thanks to a thoroughly unwelcome vocal delivery that sounds like a rather poor attempt at a She Wants Revenge impression. The same, monotonous problem emerges on six-minute closer “Death Crow Dance.” And while “Rattlesnake” is a fun, brief sojourn into more punkish territory and “Skin Walk With Me” is a chuggy, sludgy good time, full of mournful, ominous vocals, the repetition on each track, from the vocals and tone to the atmosphere and riffs, make this 42-minute album seem much longer.

At the beginning of this review, I proudly stated that I plucked Night Goat’s latest based solely on their name and their cover art. And while the score below may not reflect my initial excitement, I stand by my method. Sure, I came away with a mixed reaction, but there’s a lot to like on Totem, and I wouldn’t be surprised if a few of these tracks (especially those first four) make their way onto a playlist sometime in the future. While it suffers from an overreliance on repetition, loses a bit of steam on the back half and some of the vocal choices leave you scratching your head, Night Goat have crafted a compelling album that, for all its flaws, should be enjoyed.

Rating: 2.5/5.0
DR: | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Black Donut Records
Websites: facebook.com/nightgoat13 | blackdonut.bandcamp.com/album/totem
Releases Worldwide: March 17th, 2023