Review by JD on October 10, 2010.

Belgian metal is pretty good considering it is a very small country nestled in a larger metal market. Melodic Death Metal outfit Impedigon comes from this small patch of Europe, and they were ready to unleash their metallic punch on to the rest of the world.

With thunderous power and insane spatted vocals that channel from the very depths of man’s greatest fears, this five piece certainly knows what they are doing in the greater scope of things. Each guitar line and drum beat seem to for the basis for the purest Death Metal there is... yet I find only one glaring drawback to the album that sends my rating plummeting downwards to earth.

While the band clearly has some major talent flowing through their line-up, the bands music after awhile ends up being pretty average to me. While they have this astonishing sense of melody mixed with a heavy dose of sheer aggressiveness throughout the album, this quintet is not trying to sound different than all of the others out there. It is good Death Metal that they are making, but it seems like this has been done over and over again, bypassing originality.

I like the album as a whole, and I see them as having a good chance for more success... yet this album is not the right vehicle for the advancement of the band. I see that certain glimmer that Impedigon is moving towards that ‘wow’ factor that all bands try for, yet this album does little to make that happen. If they can keep this line-up and continue to focus on their music like I sense they have... there is no telling what the band could end up delivering in the future.

Categorical Rating Breakdown

Musicianship: 8.5
Atmosphere: 7
Production: 6
Originality: 5
Overall: 6.5

Rating: 6.6 out of 10

Review by JD on October 10, 2010.

Belgian metal is pretty good considering it is a very small country nestled in a larger metal market. Melodic Death Metal outfit Impedigon comes from this small patch of Europe, and they were ready to unleash their metallic punch on to the rest of the world.

With thunderous power and insane spatted vocals that channel from the very depths of man’s greatest fears, this five piece certainly knows what they are doing in the greater scope of things. Each guitar line and drum beat seem to for the basis for the purest Death Metal there is... yet I find only one glaring drawback to the album that sends my rating plummeting downwards to earth.

While the band clearly has some major talent flowing through their line-up, the bands music after awhile ends up being pretty average to me. While they have this astonishing sense of melody mixed with a heavy dose of sheer aggressiveness throughout the album, this quintet is not trying to sound different than all of the others out there. It is good Death Metal that they are making, but it seems like this has been done over and over again, bypassing originality.

I like the album as a whole, and I see them as having a good chance for more success... yet this album is not the right vehicle for the advancement of the band. I see that certain glimmer that Impedigon is moving towards that ‘wow’ factor that all bands try for, yet this album does little to make that happen. If they can keep this line-up and continue to focus on their music like I sense they have... there is no telling what the band could end up delivering in the future.

Categorical Rating Breakdown

Musicianship: 8.5
Atmosphere: 7
Production: 6
Originality: 5
Overall: 6.5

Rating: 6.6 out of 10

Review by JD on October 10, 2010.

Belgian metal is pretty good considering it is a very small country nestled in a larger metal market. Melodic Death Metal outfit Impedigon comes from this small patch of Europe, and they were ready to unleash their metallic punch on to the rest of the world.

With thunderous power and insane spatted vocals that channel from the very depths of man’s greatest fears, this five piece certainly knows what they are doing in the greater scope of things. Each guitar line and drum beat seem to for the basis for the purest Death Metal there is... yet I find only one glaring drawback to the album that sends my rating plummeting downwards to earth.

While the band clearly has some major talent flowing through their line-up, the bands music after awhile ends up being pretty average to me. While they have this astonishing sense of melody mixed with a heavy dose of sheer aggressiveness throughout the album, this quintet is not trying to sound different than all of the others out there. It is good Death Metal that they are making, but it seems like this has been done over and over again, bypassing originality.

I like the album as a whole, and I see them as having a good chance for more success... yet this album is not the right vehicle for the advancement of the band. I see that certain glimmer that Impedigon is moving towards that ‘wow’ factor that all bands try for, yet this album does little to make that happen. If they can keep this line-up and continue to focus on their music like I sense they have... there is no telling what the band could end up delivering in the future.

Categorical Rating Breakdown

Musicianship: 8.5
Atmosphere: 7
Production: 6
Originality: 5
Overall: 6.5

Rating: 6.6 out of 10

Review by Felix on January 5, 2022.

Black death metal is something I cannot enjoy the whole day long, but from time to time I like to lend an ear to this form of our favourite music. Goat Torment from Belgium swim through the same swamp in which already unwashed creatures like Belphegor or Impalement (Switzerland) have left their traces (and their dirt). This means that the roughshod and mangy approach of the goat tormenting trio has nearly nothing in common with the elegant (yet simultaneously infernal) ideas of bands like Necrophobic. The Belgians have another understanding of melodies. They are less smooth, more hammering and constantly violent. This means that the admirable eloquence of the Swedish legend remains out of reach for Goat Torment. But they find their own way through the self-made wasteland of terrorizing sounds – and some of their melodies do not lack impact. Especially those of 'Cursed' and the title track are like blazing fires that come nearer and nearer until they almost scorch the listener’s skin. Too bad that the following intermezzo immediately lowers the temperature again.

Forked Tongues refreshes the listener with its impetuous, unbridled songs that go hand in hand with the violent production. Instruments and vocals are well-balanced, do not lack pressure and have the right amount of aggressiveness. Even the rarely occurring atmospheric moments, for example in the center of 'Deceitful Faith', sound vigorous. This song also shows impressively that the band is able to increase the heaviness again. The mild mid-part with narrative, more or less clean vocals, transforms naturally into the devastating end. No doubt, these guys can rely on a certain degree of maturity and songwriting skills. I don’t say that each and every song blows my head off, because every now and then a rather average riff, a not very exciting guitar line or an emotions-killing blast beats part has crept in. But all in all, Goat Torment lay a clean track and thus it is only logical that they do not derail during the 43 minutes of bestiality. By the way, the band also knows the value of a strong closer. 'Charnel Houses' is not among the absolute highlights of the album, but it boasts with energy and velocity.

I don’t know why I did not buy an album called Forked Tongues during in my first 52 years on earth and now I have already two works with this name in my collection. Okay, the outstanding record of Craven Idol cannot be beaten, but Goat Torment (brutal vocals, apocalyptic aura, dark guitar sound) deliver everything it needs to satisfy a black death metal lunatic. And I guess we can be sure that they do not perform their music half-heartedly. So in my humble opinion, 7.5 is the correct rating for this recommendable storm of evil.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10