“Capricorn Rising” is the upcoming concept album and extreme metal rock opera from Thirteen Goats, which will be released for metalheads around the world next month. Is it thrash? Death? Groove? Thirteen Goats don’t care, and neither should you. This Vancouver four-piece tramples all over subgenre conventions to create an alchemical style of infernal riffs, huge hooks, and uniquely theatrical songwriting. They have a music video out now for the single “Murder Lives in the Heart”, which lead vocalist and guitarist Graham K. Miles comments on:
“The song is about the nature of vengeance. Vengeance feels good when you’ve been wronged. But just because something feels good, that doesn’t make it right.
I wrote the song after getting my heart broken, to remind myself that the pain would make me a monster if I let it. In the story we’re telling on the record, our main character Shepherd experiences that when he loses his faith in humanity and sells his soul to become the Antichrist.
The video explores the same theme from a different perspective. It’s about three women who murder the members of the band one by one and reanimate them into zombies. Their reasons are never shown, but we get a strong sense that they feel justified in what they’re doing.
Whether it’s right or wrong is left up to the audience. We’re not here to tell you when revenge is okay or not—but we want to show that it always has a spiritual cost.”
It’s been two years since the release of their debut, “Servants of the Outer Dark”, and the band has worked their asses off to bring everything fans loved about that record back with a vengeance—the frenzied fretwork, the humongous hooks, and the subtly humorous lyrics that mask much darker and more serious subjects. Two songs (including this one) also feature guest vocals by Carly Ellen Jones. Thirteen Goats is recommended for fans of Carcass, Lamb of God, and Mastodon.
Watch and listen to the video for “Murder Lives in the Heart” on MetalInsider HERE.
Due out on July 12, 2024, “Capricorn Rising” is available from Exitus Stratagem Records for album pre-order at https://www.exsrmusic.com/store/p/pre-sale-thirteen-goats-capricorn-rising
In additional news, following their performance at this year's Armstrong Metal Fest (July 12/13), Vancouver's Thirteen Goats announce that they will be hitting the road this July and August for their first major Western Canadian tour. They will be co-headlining the "Planet of the Goats Tour" with Edmonton's Fall of Earth.