Yeah, you read the headline right. The Mountain Goats are releasing a "metal" album, and it shall rise from the depths of hell on March 29 and be called All Eternals Deck. John Darnielle posted on their website today to give some insight on the album:
The album is called ALL ETERNALS DECK, and if you have ever watched say a 70s occult-scare movie where one of the scenes involves a couple of people visiting a storefront fortune teller, getting their cards read, and then trying to feel super-hopeful about what they hear when what they're visibly actually feeling is dread, then you have a pretty decent idea of what the album is all about. If you know the feeling of exultation that comes with having recognized the oncoming train of fate, then that's the other thing the album's about. JD, wouldn't it be easier to write an album of, like, love songs? Probably, I would not know, my focus is mainly death scenes and downtown Portland. It's not like there aren't people in love either dying or getting arrested at 3rd and Yamhill, so really, if you can stretch your definition of "love song" we can all be happy. Other possible points of reference include Burnt Offerings, Go Ask Alice, and that one scene in The Warriors where they're on the train and the sun's coming up and they're safe but you know the scars are permanent now. Reversals of fortune and faces at the window and sudden unexpected screams of triumph here and there. Possible exits from the long-locked basement. These sorts of moments.
So, to clarify maybe some of your confusion, no, The Mountain Goats aren't really going to blaring the double bass drum or guttural death growls of Satan. Sounds more like they might pull from some of the milder staples of metal, such as using the subject matter listed above. Erik Rutan of Morbid Angel will be their "death metal consultant" as they wrap up the album, which has a tracklist you can see below:
01. Damn These Vampires
02. Birth of Serpents
03. Estate Sale Sign
04. Age of Kings
05. The Autopsy Garland
06. Beautiful Gas Mask
07. High Hawk Season
08. Prowl Great Cain
09. Sourdoire Valley Song
10. Outer Scorpion Squadron
11. For Charles Bronson
12. Never Quite Free
13. Liza Forever Minnelli
And this video introduces you to the "new punks in town" that are in charge of fleshing out those tracks:
Hey, America from JD on Vimeo.
(via CoS)