Goatwhore

Big Easy Satanic metallers Goatwhore surfaced in 1997 with a punishing approach anchored in blackened death metal. Their first release arrived in 2000 via The Eclipse of Ages Into Black, after which the group folded in elements of sludge and thrash across subsequent records such as Carving Out the Eyes of God (2009), Constricting Rage of the Merciless (2014), and Angels Hung from the Arches of Heaven (2022).

Sammy Duet, handling vocals and guitar, assembled Goatwhore in the wake of Acid Bath’s dissolution. The initial roster featured former Soilent Green vocalist L. Ben Falgoust II alongside guitarist Ben Stout, bassist Patrick Bruders, and drummer Zak Nolan; that configuration issued the demo Serenades to the Tides of Blood before the band’s official debut album, The Eclipse of Ages Into Black, surfaced in early 2000. Funeral Dirge for the Rotting Sun followed in 2003, after which the outfit signed with Metal Blade and issued A Haunting Curse in fall 2006 along with Carving Out the Eyes of God in 2009. The latter marked the first studio appearance of bassist James Harvey, who had stepped in for Patrick Bruders the previous year. In 2012 the blackened death metal supergroup delivered its fifth album, the relentless and direct Blood for the Master, with Constricting Rage of the Merciless appearing in 2014 and Vengeful Ascension in 2017. James Harvey departed prior to the band’s eighth long-player, Angels Hung from the Arches of Heaven; he passed away on July 26, 2023. Issued in 2022, the raw and uncompromising collection introduced former touring bassist Robert Coleman.