Goatwhore

Though the hurricane ravaged bog known as New Orleans is mainly celebrated for its sludgy stalwarts, Goatwhore throw tradition to the wind and pump out a consistently thrashing take on black metal. With a brand new rhythm section, founding axe wielder Sammy Duet (Acid Bath, Crowbar) and vocalist Ben Falgoust (Soilent Green) make good use of the fresh blood, putting their collective metal engine into overdrive. Their third full-length puts Erik Rutan’s (Hate Eternal) production talent to work, evoking all the subtle nuances that are often left behind in black metal production, adding depth and density to an already crushing sound. Their strength lies in their ability to combine a variety of influences and still come out sounding raucous and evil. Comparisons to Celtic Frost are definitely warranted in certain instances, with Bathory coming across on the more black metal oriented parts, occasional odes to Suffocation making appearances, and older grind punk influences treading into Bolt Thrower territory. While A Haunting Curse is nothing spectacular, it’s a solid effort and worth checking out.