"Entropy reigns in silence." It sounds like a core principle of necro-thermodynamics that they might teach at Miskantonic University. It is also the secret behind decoding the sophomore album from GOATSMOKER. Keeping up the tradition they started with their debut album, "E.O.T.A.," GOATSMOKER offers up their second sacrifice, entitled "E.R.I.S.," on March 20, 2026 via Audible Music (DK).

"E.R.I.S." is five tracks—about 42 minutes—of dire Sludgy Doom. The first track, "Cursed," weighs in at over nine minutes with a bpd on par with a mammoth bleeding out on the frozen plains of forgotten moon. This evil incarnation of doom and spite is a perfect opening to this gloriously accursed album. Next up is "Waiting." This track comes on achingly slow before pushing the needles deep into the red with riffs that rise and fall in a baleful cadence. Two numbers in and it's nothing but standout tracks thus far.

"Gods of Gunzilla," track three, seems like it would be all tongue-in-cheek giggles but it's more monstrous Doom. No helpless people on a subway train screaming bug-eyed on this one. Just mountains crumbling and the world more or less coming to an end. The penultimate track, "Entropy Reigns in Silence," is of course the extended monicker to the album's title. It's also the longest track of the album. Right around mid-track the tempo ramps up to almost Stoner proportions, ironic for a song about entropy and silence. One listen, though, and you'll know why this is the title track. Just a perfect slab of metal.

The fifth and final track is "Dakhma." Dakhma, or the Tower of Silence, is a Zoroastrian structure designed for excarnation—you know, the opposite of incarnation. With a properly built Dakhma, you get this circular, raised structure with an open top to allow human corpses just the right level of exposure to the elements for optimal decomposition. It keeps the surrounding area free from contagion and allows carrion to dine at their leisure. Yep. Why aren't there a hundred metal bands with this name? Anyway, what really puts this track over the top—I mean, beyond its title—is the haunting but epic backing vocals. This track is as lush as a new black light poster—fuzzy, dark, and weirdly soothing.  

Have you ever counted how many extreme metal bands have the word 'goat' in their name? You can't, it is actually impossible. It is a number that is uncountable. With that said, GOATSMOKER is the perfect name for this band and "E.R.I.S." is a perfect reliquary of their latest collection bitumen-soaked Doom.