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Goatwhore: A Haunting Curse

Proving the phrase of "that which does not kill you makes you stronger" comes Goatwhore with the follow up to their 2003 release Funeral Dirge For The Rotting Sun. Stronger would totally be an understatement as the music on A Haunting Curse both pummels and at the same time captivates you into their Black Metal world with a relentless fury. The recording of the album came after Ben Falgoust (also the singer for Soilent Green) had recovered from some bad injuries from a car accident. For awhile it actually seemed like full recovery would not be a possibility but one day he was just fine and back with a vengeance to work on the new Goatwhore album. Oddly enough, right after that was done the New Orleans band found themselves fleeing for their lives from Hurricane Katrina. All of these dramatic events would lead one to believe that the Fates were looking down on Goatwhore and out to get the best of them. Listening to the album and tracks like the opener "Wear These Scars Of Testimony" and "Bloodletting Upon The Cloven Hoof" will show you that the band walks among us with no fear at all and instead decide to instill the fear into you. Falgoust is powerful on the recording and this will easily translate into some killer live appearances (the band has been selected to open up for the one and only Venom when they return to the States in August/September 2006). Their Bathory influenced Black Metal is a welcome change from the crop of Stateside Death Metal bands who are risking being lost in the mix by keeping the sound to one premise. The aspect of the Goatwhore album that will cause many to raise their attention to them is the level of musicality that is showcased across the recording. Behind Ben's growls is a killer musical lineup with Sammy Duet (guitar), Nathan Bergeron (bass ) and Zack Simmons (drums) and while the band explores different levels of melody like their European Black Metal comrades there is no sacrificing the heaviness of the tracks. It stood out for me as a listener and fan of the genre and perhaps with more US based Black Metal bands doing this the bar for the genre here can continue to be raised.

The subject matter is not for the timid as the band follows the standard themes of most Black Metal groups and also utilizes a slightly Punkish edge to the piece. It's a group you will not soon forget so if levels of technical playing impress you and you lean to the side of the Black Metal bands then Goatwhore is a band for you. Check them out.


Track Listing
  1. Wear These Scars Of Testimony
  2. Bloodletting Upon The Cloven Hoof
  3. Alchemy Of The Black Sun Cult
  4. My Eyes Are The Spears Of Chaos
  5. In The Narrow Confines Of Defilement
  6. Forever Consumed Oblivion
  7. A Haunting Curse
  8. Silence Marked By the Breaking Of Bone
  9. Diabolical Submergence Of Rebirth
  10. Of Ashen Slumber
  11. I Avenge Myself

Added: October 3rd 2006
Reviewer: Ken Pierce
Score:
Related Link: Goatwhore Website
Hits: 5347
Language: english

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Goatwhore: A Haunting Curse
Posted by Pete Pardo, SoT Staff Writer on 2006-10-03 19:20:19
My Score:

If you've ever wondered what traditional Scandinavian Black Metal would sound like if it was played by some of the purveyors of the New Orleans hardcore/stoner metal scene, look no further than Goatwhore and their latest release A Haunting Curse. Chilling tremelo picked guitar riffs, thunderous blast beats, and a mixture of black metal shrieks and hardcore style grunts permeate the album, leaving no doubts of its brutal intentions. Comprised of former Acid Bath/Crowbar guitarist Sammy Duet, Soilent Green singer Ben Falgoust, drummer Zack Simmons, and bassist Nathan Bergeron, Goatwhore take influence from bands such as Bathory, Celtic Frost, Darkthrone, and Impaled Nazarene, yet add in their own elements of death metal, hardcore, and a little grind for good measure. Check out the insane riffage and black metal insanity of songs like "Bloodletting Upon the Cloven Hoof" and "Alchemy of the Black Sun Cult" for great examples of what Goatwhore has to offer. Simmons especially shoots out torrents of manic blast beats, as if he's trying to enter some sort of speed competition with Satyricon/1349 drummer Frost.

Overall, this is some brutal and enjoyable stuff that doesn't take itself too seriously. Produced by Hate Eternal's Erik Rutan, A Haunted Curse is a great sounding record that does it's job and does it well. Sure, it ain't pure black metal, but I think that was the intent. Goatwhore seems to be having a blast giving the world their take on Southern Fried Black Metal...I'll have seconds please!



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