Review by Felix on December 4, 2021.

Probably every person has a phase in which his creativity does not bubble over, and probably every person has a phase of great mildness. In the case of Aegrus, these two phases occurred simultaneously, namely during the process of creating Ritual. The demo does not exactly excel in terms of punch and intensity. There are stormier and better releases of the Finns, before and after Ritual. But Aegrus are too competent to come around the corner with weak songs. So the inclined listener enjoys some haunting melodies. In some moments they remind me of the Swedish Pest (as their music was still black and nothing else) and they like to appear surprisingly without notice, for instance in 'The Sign From The Fallen'.

Overall, as mentioned, the material appears pretty cozy sometimes. There are indeed faster passages, but these have to struggle in order to give the three tracks their character. Unfortunately, the songs also do not create an outstanding degree of creepy atmosphere. Thus Aegrus sit between a rock and a hard place. Have a look at the closer: 'Inhale My Misanthropical Dream' cruises mainly through mid-tempo part. It’s definitely not bad. Darkness reigns, but I miss a little the thunderstorm. It takes almost four minutes, before a ghostly shimmering guitar line emerges and the piece regains density and power as a result.

Despite my points of criticism, the music still has something to offer. Compositional maturity can not be denied the band on Ritual (by the way, great artwork). The sound is once again convincing and so it is surprising that Aegrus with their unadulterated, here quite melodically influenced black metal needed almost ten long years until a label took pity and released their first long-playing record. Especially I am surprised about this fact, because the band never varied their basic pattern in a detrimental way since Unholy Invocations. Quite the opposite, in my opinion Aegrus stood out positively from bumbling attempts of other beginners from the start. If you have not heard a tone of them so far, you can start your discovery tour wherever you want. As a black metal supporter, you will never be disappointed.

Rating: 7.3 out of 10

Review by Felix on December 4, 2021.

Probably every person has a phase in which his creativity does not bubble over, and probably every person has a phase of great mildness. In the case of Aegrus, these two phases occurred simultaneously, namely during the process of creating Ritual. The demo does not exactly excel in terms of punch and intensity. There are stormier and better releases of the Finns, before and after Ritual. But Aegrus are too competent to come around the corner with weak songs. So the inclined listener enjoys some haunting melodies. In some moments they remind me of the Swedish Pest (as their music was still black and nothing else) and they like to appear surprisingly without notice, for instance in 'The Sign From The Fallen'.

Overall, as mentioned, the material appears pretty cozy sometimes. There are indeed faster passages, but these have to struggle in order to give the three tracks their character. Unfortunately, the songs also do not create an outstanding degree of creepy atmosphere. Thus Aegrus sit between a rock and a hard place. Have a look at the closer: 'Inhale My Misanthropical Dream' cruises mainly through mid-tempo part. It’s definitely not bad. Darkness reigns, but I miss a little the thunderstorm. It takes almost four minutes, before a ghostly shimmering guitar line emerges and the piece regains density and power as a result.

Despite my points of criticism, the music still has something to offer. Compositional maturity can not be denied the band on Ritual (by the way, great artwork). The sound is once again convincing and so it is surprising that Aegrus with their unadulterated, here quite melodically influenced black metal needed almost ten long years until a label took pity and released their first long-playing record. Especially I am surprised about this fact, because the band never varied their basic pattern in a detrimental way since Unholy Invocations. Quite the opposite, in my opinion Aegrus stood out positively from bumbling attempts of other beginners from the start. If you have not heard a tone of them so far, you can start your discovery tour wherever you want. As a black metal supporter, you will never be disappointed.

Rating: 7.3 out of 10

Review by Alex on January 16, 2020.

Speed metal a fusion of traditional heavy metal and thrash but way more interesting than the latter and faster than former; say it ain't so (regarding the interest factor)? Then give Bütcher’s follow-up album 666 Goats Carry My Chariot a listen. Forget horses, they’re so outdated and overrated if you ask me, goats do a far better job of transportation plus if ever you get thirsty on the way to whichever kingdom is up next for total domination, you’ve got a large supply of goat milk (666*8 ounces or so) which I’ve heard has more nutritional content than that of cow’s milk. Hence, the brave warrior is set for battle with far more than the average infantry.

Need a stamina or momentum boost during battle? No problem, your goats have you covered, simply scout out a lane for retreat, locate your chariot of goats and squirt the energizing lactose into your mouth, thus re-entering the battlefield rejuvenated and ready for the next random opponent. The last few speed metal releases I enjoyed were by Black Viper (Norway) Hellions of Fire, Aphrodite (Canada) Lust and War and more recently an EP titled "Rot ‘Em Roll" by Victim of Fate (Mexico). Let’s go ahead and add 666 Goats Carry My Chariot to my small list of speed metal albums that keep the rubber burning and the trail blazing.

Let’s inaugurate the steel and baptize it with the blood of enemies, no surprise there given the band name. A path of carnage is carved out immediately after the ceremony of knighting, Bütcher goes on a rampage with ‘Iron Bitch’ and '45 RPM Metal'. Nothing is safe in the way of these licks; battle screams and a hampering drum tantrum dismantle the battlefield with pleasure. Opening with a cracker of a song ‘Iron Bitch’, Bütcher are live and direct, unhindered and ready to do battle. The high-pitched screams and snarls of a front man sounding like he broke loose from a mental institution are backed by gyrating guitar licks all over like an ant’s nest. Speed and ruthlessness are put to test by Bütcher; however, don’t be mistaken, the songs here though carrying a chaotic criterion make certain provide a rhythm and harmony. ‘45 RPM Metal’ is a slug to the face and at the same time a warm soaked warm sheet to massage the wound.

‘Sentinels of Dethe’ does the same through well introduced, conducted and played guitar sections, sometimes leaving the listener with an impression they may be a distortion pedal short from becoming a black/ death metal band. Speaking of, the Belgians best song comes in the form of the title track ‘666 Goats Carry My Chariot’ that you could say has a Bathory-esque feeling adding to the fact most of the songs have a strong first wave black metal conductivity; merely one of the many surprises on the record. The album is all over the good places and there’s no telling what next the Belgians will do, so be prepared for some surprises you don't want to miss out on.

The music created on 666 Goats Carry My Chariot is what comes to mind whenever I think of speed metal, fast enjoyable tracks with tons of headbang effect, but this executes more than the standardized generic formula, there's lots of variation inclusive of not just technicality, soft Viking metal like passages and numerous odes to cornerstone bands make you want to revisit the album endless times. Speed metal from Belgium, I'm down to hear more.

Rating: 8 out of 10

Review by Alex on January 16, 2020.

Speed metal a fusion of traditional heavy metal and thrash but way more interesting than the latter and faster than former; say it ain't so (regarding the interest factor)? Then give Bütcher’s follow-up album 666 Goats Carry My Chariot a listen. Forget horses, they’re so outdated and overrated if you ask me, goats do a far better job of transportation plus if ever you get thirsty on the way to whichever kingdom is up next for total domination, you’ve got a large supply of goat milk (666*8 ounces or so) which I’ve heard has more nutritional content than that of cow’s milk. Hence, the brave warrior is set for battle with far more than the average infantry.

Need a stamina or momentum boost during battle? No problem, your goats have you covered, simply scout out a lane for retreat, locate your chariot of goats and squirt the energizing lactose into your mouth, thus re-entering the battlefield rejuvenated and ready for the next random opponent. The last few speed metal releases I enjoyed were by Black Viper (Norway) Hellions of Fire, Aphrodite (Canada) Lust and War and more recently an EP titled "Rot ‘Em Roll" by Victim of Fate (Mexico). Let’s go ahead and add 666 Goats Carry My Chariot to my small list of speed metal albums that keep the rubber burning and the trail blazing.

Let’s inaugurate the steel and baptize it with the blood of enemies, no surprise there given the band name. A path of carnage is carved out immediately after the ceremony of knighting, Bütcher goes on a rampage with ‘Iron Bitch’ and '45 RPM Metal'. Nothing is safe in the way of these licks; battle screams and a hampering drum tantrum dismantle the battlefield with pleasure. Opening with a cracker of a song ‘Iron Bitch’, Bütcher are live and direct, unhindered and ready to do battle. The high-pitched screams and snarls of a front man sounding like he broke loose from a mental institution are backed by gyrating guitar licks all over like an ant’s nest. Speed and ruthlessness are put to test by Bütcher; however, don’t be mistaken, the songs here though carrying a chaotic criterion make certain provide a rhythm and harmony. ‘45 RPM Metal’ is a slug to the face and at the same time a warm soaked warm sheet to massage the wound.

‘Sentinels of Dethe’ does the same through well introduced, conducted and played guitar sections, sometimes leaving the listener with an impression they may be a distortion pedal short from becoming a black/ death metal band. Speaking of, the Belgians best song comes in the form of the title track ‘666 Goats Carry My Chariot’ that you could say has a Bathory-esque feeling adding to the fact most of the songs have a strong first wave black metal conductivity; merely one of the many surprises on the record. The album is all over the good places and there’s no telling what next the Belgians will do, so be prepared for some surprises you don't want to miss out on.

The music created on 666 Goats Carry My Chariot is what comes to mind whenever I think of speed metal, fast enjoyable tracks with tons of headbang effect, but this executes more than the standardized generic formula, there's lots of variation inclusive of not just technicality, soft Viking metal like passages and numerous odes to cornerstone bands make you want to revisit the album endless times. Speed metal from Belgium, I'm down to hear more.

Rating: 8 out of 10