Review: Goetia, 'Tomb Essence' (Heavy & Fast Records, 2024)

10.17.2024

This four-song EP has been my first exposure to Goetia: ripping death/thrash out of Washington, D.C. with lineup ties to Genocide Pact, Perpetuated, and Brain Tourniquet. There's sort of a blackened snarl to the vocals that definitely shifts the feel a bit; and they're a trio, so there's plenty of breathing room—which especially highlights some badass details of the frenetic drumming. Opener "Naturam Demonto" kicks off with what feels like a mid-paced churn, but the dizzyingly flashy percussion combined with some chaotic lead bursts has one realize, "Shit, this is actually pretty fast-paced, isn't it!?" "Mephistopheles" is slightly more straightforward in attack, and gets into more of the gnashing death metal edge while adding structure to the guitar solos; and "Hammer of the Witches" combines elements of the first two tracks into a full-on death/thrash vibe, again utilizing more melody to the solo section over a slightly "slower" breakdown. Things close out with a cover of "Ripping Corpse," originally by Kreator, which understandably fits in quite well amidst the band's own fare.

Tomb Essence is available on CD (limited to 300), 12" (limited to 100 black-in-purple or 400 purple), or cassette (limited to 100 purple); all of which are presented with a clean and consistent black, white, and purple layout where everything is a perfect aesthetic match and looks killer. The packaging includes lyrics, credits, photos, and additional illustrative iconography. The credits properly attribute "Ripping Corpse" to Kreator, while the lyric sheet refers to it as "Traditional," which is a pretty priceless touch, ha! Otherwise, the lyrics are about what you'd expect from an occult-inspired form of extreme metal: