Label: Spinefarm Records
Released: 25th January 2019
Rating: ★★★★
Puppy are a band who are redefining what it means to be in a metal band, and their debut sees them deliver with gusto.
‘The Goat’ is a dark record that also feels triumphant. Unstoppable, chugging riffs and soaring choruses take charge on ‘Vengeance’, and gothic tones intice on ‘Poor Me’ and the Goliath ‘Entombed’. Sounds are switched up on ‘Bath in Blood’, where elements of post-grunge creep in, and the lullaby-like quality on ‘Nightwalker’ is a side so many bands of a similar vein would not be able to pull off.
There’s a certain something about Puppy. They’re enchanting and otherworldly, creating heavy metal music that’s not all about aggression, arrogance, or machismo; there’s not a growl or scream to be heard on this record. Instead, this is a band who contrast the most alluring deafening and hellish riffs, with poppier vocals and soothing harmonies, for a magnetic concoction. There’s a fable-like quality to the songs and themes on ‘The Goat’, something wise and supernatural, which puts this beguiling trio a step above the rest.
