Goat Horn

Goat Horn first assembled during 1999 inside the tranquil Ontario community of Pembroke before the members shifted operations to Toronto. The lineup consisted of three musicians still in their late teens: vocalist and bassist Jason Decay, guitarist Brandon Wars, and drummer Steel Rider. Their debut album, Voyage to Nowhere, emerged in 2001 after a single-day recording session and delivered raw yet engaging basement metal whose tracks blended Cathedral-inspired doom with blackened thrash recalling early Celtic Frost, plus occasional nods to 1980s retro metal. The 2003 follow-up, Storming the Gates, reached further into the past by folding in New Wave of British Heavy Metal elements drawn from acts such as Venom and Witchfinder General while accelerating the overall pace. Although the 2005 Thundering Force EP retained a comparable approach and featured noticeably cleaner production values, it failed to secure adequate distribution. Steel Rider left the group at that point, citing an injury, and the remaining core recruited Al Tillery on drums. The revised trio delivered a warmly received performance at the New England Metal and Hardcore Festival in April 2006. Persistent internal friction between the two founding members who remained ultimately prompted Goat Horn to declare their dissolution by June of that year.