Death Metal icons GOATWHORE are from New Orleans, Louisiana and celebrate their 25^th anniversary with album number eight. It was produced by Jarred Pritchard and Kurt Ballou (IRON REAGAN, NAILS), mixed by Kurt Ballou, and mastered by Ted Jensen (ALICE IN CHAINS, BEHEMOTH, MACHINE HEAD). "Angels Hung From The Arches Of Heaven" has a length of 47 minutes and it was released via Californian Metal specialists Metal Blade Records.

The album starts with a chilling intro, before it turns into a frantic Death Metal assault with "Born Of Satan's Flesh". It retains the grim atmosphere of the opening "Invocation 3". The guitar riffing is sharp and aggressive, the drumming is a relentless hammering, and the growling vocals range from the low to the medium end of the guttural range. The song has a short lead guitar solo, which fits very well into the overall atmosphere of the track. "Born Of Satan's Flesh" sets perfectly the scene for the album, and the song is the official video release with the YouTube link given below. "The Bestowal Of Abdomination" continues with the high speed attack at the start, but transitions quickly into a mid-tempo track with powerful riffing. The vocals include a tonal shift towards higher notes and occasional screams. The track is a seesaw between the mid-tempo parts and parts of insane pace, in particular during the somewhat chaotic lead guitar solo.

The title song starts with epic melodies at a measured pace, but changes quickly towards mid-tempo. It is a melodic track, and the melodies have a bit of a melancholic character. The vocals are pretty versatile, covering most of the guttural range. The guitar riffing is heavy, but also has some catchiness, while the lead guitars have a significant contribution throughout the track. The drumming is very comprehensive and includes a few blast-beats. It all ends, fitting to the gloomy atmosphere, with a piano part. "Death From Above" is clearly a counterpoint to the title song: fast, direct, with aggressive riffing, brutal growls, double-bass drumming and a few Hardcore vibes. It is one of my favorites on the album. "Ruinous Liturgy" is a track that is fast, but not superfast, and it has some transitions towards mid-tempo. It is driven by the guitar riffing and the double-bass drumming. There are a few lead guitar parts including a contributing lead guitar solo. Overall, "Ruinous Liturgy" cannot keep up with most of the tracks on the album. "Victory Is The Lightning Of Destruction" is a mid-tempo track with simple, almost catchy guitar riffing. The vocals have background vocal support. There is a break at high pace introducing the lead guitar solo, which is the highlight of the track. "Voracious Blood Fixation" continues with the mid-tempo sound with simple, but effective guitar riffing. It is the song with a lot of Thrash Metal vibes, especially during the middle part of the song, which is played at breakneck speed.

"The Devil's Warlords" raises speed and aggression. There are a few twists in rhythm throughout with the guitar riffing and the vocals being the focal point of the track. In fact, there are a lot of vocal lines for a Death Metal track. The lead guitar solo is again very contributing. "Weight Of A Soulless Heart" has a spine-chilling start with grim melodies. It is a very dark song with the guitars providing a doom-laden atmosphere. The tempo is sluggish and there is a lot of double-bass drumming included. "Weight Of A Soulless Heart" is another album highlight. "Nihil" returns to the blistering pace of some of the previous tracks. It is a straightforward track with flesh-ripping guitar riffing, aggressive vocals, a great lead guitar solo and it has again a lot of Thrash Metal vibes. Clearly, one of my album favorites. The closing of the album starts with an acoustic guitar part and transitions into another doom-laden track with melancholic melodies, a grim atmosphere provided by the guitars, and an epic sound. Played at a measured tempo, it is clearly the darkest track on the album. The guitar riffing and the lead guitar parts are second to none and vocalist L. Ben Falgoust II has an outstanding performance. "And I Was Delivered From The Wound Of Perdition" is not only an excellent album closer, GOATWHORE go out with a bang!

GOATWHORE deliver overall a very good album which would probably go into my top three GOATWHORE albums. "Angels Hung From The Arches Of Heaven" has a lot of highlights, but also a few songs that cannot quite keep up. I was impressed by the guitar riffing, the lead guitar parts, and a vocalist who keeps the sound very well together. GOATWHORE impress with a very mature songwriting. The album is very well produced. "Angels Hung From The Arches Of Heaven" establishes GOATWHORE further as one of the leading Death Metal bands and the album is a must listen for every Death Metal fan.