Goatlord

GOATLORD is, to my knowledge, the only black metal band of consequence to come from Las Vegas.  Continuing black metal's obsession with goats, these evil bastards played a unique style of old-school black metal that managed to have a slow, doom-y atmosphere to it while retaining the visceral edge

of black metal.

Las Vegas' Goatlord

They formed in 1985, and released several quality demos in the later 1980s that went on to make a huge impact in the underground (Fenriz from Darkthrone is one of their most famous admirers).  It was 1987's untitled demo and 1988's Sodomize the Goat that helped build their cult reputation.

From the 1987 demo, this is "Unholy Black Slut"

Off of their 1988 rehearsal, here is "Possessed Soldiers of War"

After another demo in 1991, Goatlord put out a full-length studio album, 1991's Reflections of the Solstice.  Highlighting their unique take on black metal, Reflections of the Solstice is one of the great(est?) albums of late first-wave black metal.  Solstice was a European release, and the following year Goatlord put out a self-titled album which was essentially the American version of Solstice: re-mixed tracks, different vocals (I think Mitch Harris from Napalm Death was the different vocalist?), and an added bonus track, "Voodoo Mass."

"Sacrifice," from 1991's Reflections of the Solstice

The bonus track from the self-titled album.  Notice the different vocals.

Goatlord broke up in 1997, but by this point, they had left their indelible stamp on the underground.  They had recorded several songs that were intended to be the next studio album, but it was never released before the band broke up.  Nuclear War Now Records put out a compilation album in 2007 entitled The Last Sodomy of Mary which contained these never-released songs.

From The Last Sodomy of Mary....much more death metal in sound than black metal

Select Discography:

Demo '87 (demo) (1987)
Rehearsal '88 (demo) (1988)
Sodomize the Goat (demo) (1988)
Promo '91 (demo) (1991)
Reflections of the Solstice (1991)
Goatlord (1991)
Distorted Birth (demo compilation) (2003)
The Last Sodomy of Mary (compilation) (2007)

Next time: SALEM