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Album number five for New Orleans ass kickers Goatwhore. These guys hold the power of the riff in high regard and the band lay down some absolute gut busters on Blood for the Master. The band remind me quite a bit of Soilent Green in places which is cool, although Goatwhore certainly wield a more aggressive age.

Ten songs and just less than forty minutes of mayhem is the deal here, and Goatwhore drive a mean bargain. I can't stress the quality of the riffs, great articulation, perfectly headbangable, and simple yet devastatingly effective, this is exactly what you want in this type of music. Shades of Carcass's Swansong riffing style really bleed through on Blood for the Master, although don't let that give you the idea this is death and roll. The band utilize quite a bit of Swedish death metal technique, with some almost Dismember moments in places.

The vocals are my only real sore point here, as with a lot of the extreme metal I cover they're a little too modern for my liking. The black metal-styled vocals work well, but it's in the death growls where the modernisms creep in. At the end of the day though, this is quality. Like a nail-spiked bat this album causes its fair share of destruction, and I can only imagine how punishing this would be live. Fans of Skeleton Witch and Soilent Green would certainly do well to check this out. Recommended.