GOATS OF DOOM was founded in 2008 by Scaregod and Inasnum. Three full-lengths eventually followed in 2012, 2015, and 2017 with this lineup; in this iteration, the band was more synth-based black metal, but not strictly "symphonic black metal" by definition. Now expanded to a trio, GOATS OF DOOM showed a new face on Rukous, where the mysterious atmosphere of old is shot through with more surging aggression and bewitching melody: in essence, a melodic blizzard, if you will. It's characteristically Finnish in its melancholy - melody can never be too saccharine, of course - but burns icy hot with a passion that makes its seven-song/42-minute runtime a nightsky treasure to behold. The theme of Rukous is suitably spirituality, and hereby do GOATS OF DOOM offer myriad ways to worship the dark.