Goatlord “Reflections of the Solstice” and “The Last Sodomy of Mary” CD Out Now

Goatlord “Reflections of the Solstice” CD
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(Description by C. Conrad)
The transition in style that Goatlord underwent between the releases of “Demo ’87” and the “Sodomize the Goat” demo in 1988 began to expose some differences in the individual members’ visions for the band’s future direction. Although guitarist Joe Frankulin has been quoted as stating that the deliberate attempt to slow the pace of certain sections of the songs quite dramatically had gone a bit too far, vocalist Ace Still instead embraced this change wholeheartedly, which eventually led to him parting ways with Goatlord prior to the band’s signing with Turbo Music for the recording of their first album, “Reflections of the Solstice,” in 1991. In the wake of Ace’s departure, Frankulin and company enlisted the vocal services of Mitch Harris, who would soon become better known for his involvement in Napalm Death. Curiously, although it is commonly recognized that Harris indeed recorded lead vocal tracks for the entire album, it is instead the voice of Ace Still that appears on the released recording. Given the band’s known indulgence in hallucinogenics, it is as fitting as it is mysterious that Ace Still somehow re-emerged from the fog to record the lead vocal tracks on “Reflections…,” and it is perhaps equally interesting to note that Harris’ vocals only surface as a backing track on “Sacrifice.”
These differences in musical visions aside, “Reflections of the Solstice” followed much in the same vein as the “Sodomize the Goat” demo. In fact, every song on the album had also been previously recorded for the 1988 demo, and the band continued to masterfully fuse frenetically-paced death/thrash segments with more tortured, black/doom dirges. On the other hand, at least one noteworthy alteration was made to one song’s composition – namely, the extended delay-and-reverb-enhanced intro that was added to “Possessed Soldiers of War.” Moreover, the most significant difference that is pervasive throughout the album is the seemingly inexplicable use of an electronic drum kit, which adds to “Reflections…” a modern and technical element that was clearly not present on previous recordings. Notwithstanding the fact that over the years some have unfairly criticized this particular aspect of the album, the unnatural sound of the drums should instead be considered and appreciated as yet another bizarre anecdote in the band’s development, which simply adds another important dimension to Goatlord’s historic significance.
Following the album’s initial 1991 European release by Turbo Music, the U.S.-based label JL America licensed a version for the North American market the following year, albeit with different cover artwork and one additional track, and for some reason decided to rename it “Goatlord.” Fifteen years later, Nuclear War Now! rightly decided to resurrect this masterpiece in order to ensure its continued proliferation. Now, as it was first proud to do in 2007, Nuclear War Now! once again offers a re-release of “Reflections of the Solstice,” as part of its recently coordinated and comprehensive effort to cement Goatlord’s legacy as one of the most important and unique bands to ever defile all that is considered sacred.

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Goatlord “The Last Sodomy of Mary” CD
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(Description by C. Conrad)
After Goatlord agreed with JL America to release a second version of their 1991 debut album, “Reflections of the Solstice” (but this time simply renamed “Goatlord”), the band recruited vocalist Chris Gans to permanently replace Ace Still, who had left prior to the recording of the album but resurfaced briefly to record vocal tracks for it. Thus, with a new member and a U.S.-based label that agreed to finance such a venture, Goatlord set out with new labelmates Excruciating Pain to tour the west coast of the United States. Though they had previously been limited to playing makeshift local gigs in the desert, using gasoline-powered generators for electricity, this tour undoubtedly began to earn them some well-deserved recognition in five different states, which culminated in a set in front of an audience of a thousand at the Death Metal Fest in Hollywood. This increased exposure, however, turned out not to be the necessary element that would solidify the new lineup and encourage them to record a second album. Instead, the band returned from this tour with a lack of motivation to forge ahead, and the band dissolved shortly thereafter in 1992.
Prior to their disbandment following the fateful west coast tour, Goatlord had begun writing and rehearsing new material that was intended to serve as the foundation for a follow-up to their debut album. Seven of these tracks were recorded at different stages of their development and serve to document the final chapter of the band’s history. These recordings clearly demonstrate the band’s intention to return more to the sound that was present on their first recording, “Demo ’87.” Tempos on newer songs such as “Gargoyle King” and “Strange Burial” range from mid- to fast-paced, and gone are the nine-minute-plus, doom-laden passages that were displayed prominently on the “Sodomize the Goat” demo and, to a somewhat lesser extent, on “Reflections of the Solstice” (aka “Goatlord”). The other unmistakeable difference is in the vocals, which were executed quite competently by Gans, but in a noticeably different style than those of Still, his predecessor who had been instrumental in establishing the trademark Goatlord sound. Another novelty and notable difference with previously-written songs was guitarist Joe Frankulin’s first foray into the writing of lyrics for “Stygian Void.”
As it first did in 2007, Nuclear War Now! is once again honored to re-release “The Last Sodomy of Mary,” a collection of both the earliest and last of the band’s recordings, some of which were still in need of lyrics being written. In addition to the seven aforementioned songs that were intended to be included on a second album, this compilation includes the band’s first-ever recording, “Unholy Black Slut,” the same version of which was played by a friend on his radio show at a local university soon after the band’s inception. It also contains the first recorded version of “Sacrifice,” one of the band’s longest-tenured and most highly-revered songs, as it was first committed to tape with Glen Bonner from Doom Snake Cult on guitar. In sum, “The Last Sodomy of Mary” represents both the first and final nails in the coffin of a band’s whose undead presence will forever outlast its short-lived active existence.

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