CoC : Goatwhore - Funeral Dirge for the Rotting Sun : Review

Goatwhore - _Funeral Dirge for the Rotting Sun_
(Rotten Records, 2003)
by: T. DePalma (5.5 out of 10)

Goatwhore's second release holds fast to the concept born on 2000's _The Eclipse of Ages Into Black_, displaying a large Celtic Frost influence that begs a comparative nod to Obituary, though the sound is still tighter and less beefy. Eliminating the more generic black metal attempts of the first release, this album is propelled by traditional death metal with several Bathory overtones ("As the Sun Turns to Ash", "Bloodguilt Eucharist", "Sky Inferno") and capped by the blunt halt/start for each new track (the last note of every song ending in synch with the last lyric, in punkish no frills fashion). Guitarist Sammy Duet again invokes a unique cadence of epic melodies within the mudslide of well studied thrash churns, providing an extremely catchy (if somewhat academic) background of riffs to catch the screech of vocalist Ben Falgoust. Falgoust's voice is less varied here than his recordings with Soilent Green -- altering only between his weirdly accented rasp and spoken word, which induces memories of Duet's former project Acid Bath, though the similarity may have as much to due with location as it does direct influence and development of sound. Despite the obvious attentive focus on song writing over image (the bands aesthetic truly lies within the music, overriding the ordinary appearance of the musicians as well as bland cover art) and the execution of such, my fundamental criticism against Goatwhore is that their music is primarily a re-introduction of past musical breakthroughs; left-overs spiced by the ideas of somewhat tempered creative lions, whose most impressive work still lay outside the walls of emulation and refinement.

Contact: http://www.goatwhore.net

(article published 19/10/2004)

CHATS
15/7/2009	J Smit	Goatwhore: Pedigree Butchery
12/9/2006	J Smit	Goatwhore: Curse You All Men

ALBUMS
6/5/2012	A El Naby	8	Goatwhore - Blood for the Master
15/6/2009	J Smit	10	Goatwhore - Carving Out the Eyes of God
22/8/2006	J Smit	10	Goatwhore - A Haunting Curse