GOATCHRIST are perhaps one of the leading lights of the more raw end of the UK Black Metal scene. On the eve of their first live show at Bad Apples in Leeds on January 24th, the band have put out their latest EP, "The Epic Tragedy of the Cult of Enlil". This, the bands fourth release, follows three demos which are all raw Black Metal at its finest, all of which have garnered the band a small cult following and a reputation for putting out great music. It's safe to say that the band have set the bar high heading into this EP, and their earlier output is going to be very hard to top. Have they managed to outdo themselves with this EP?

The answer, put simply, is yes. Right from the haunting organ which opens the first song, "Introduction", it's easy to see that the band have improved since the release of "Legion" in September of last year. The production has improved, but not to the point where it has lost its raw edge. "The Triumvirate's Flight to Nippur", the first actual track on here, is one of the best songs this band have ever released, from the harsh, rasping vocals through to the brilliant guitar work throughout. Then comes "A Message Blows East on Sumerian Winds", track which opens on a thick, mid-paced riff which is absolutely brilliant. This is likely going to become a fan favourite if they end up playing this in their live shows. "Plaguewood" is a song that improves gradually as it goes along, and has a lot of keyboards, which work really well in amongst the Black Metal fury. "The Great Battle at the Ruins of Ninurta's Temple" has everything you want in a Blackened Death Metal track; great riffs, blasting drums and a harsh atmosphere. Then we come to the jewel in the crown of this masterpiece; the penultimate track, "Enki (The Ascendance of the Three to the Immortal Seats", a song that is really broken into two parts, the first being the powerful and intense "Anu", and the second being the fast and ferocious "Eternal Revitalisation". Both of these songs are, although part of the same song, distinctly separate, and could just as well have been two different songs in their own right, but together make the best track on this EP, and arguably one of the best the band has ever produced. The final song, "Epilogue", is very similar to the first track, a short organ piece that ends this record nicely.

Once again, GOATCHRIST have produced an EP, which has exceeded their own high standards of song writing. With plenty of live shows on the horizon, the future for the band is looking very good. By the time this review is online, the band will have played their first live show alongside VALAFAR and SLAUGHTER THRONE, and will probably be making much larger waves outside of Yorkshire. Watch this space; the next thing this band does could very well propel GOATCHRIST to wider acclaim.<