A Haunting Curse is the third installment (first via Metal Blade) of the New Orleans Black Metal outfit that are Goatwhore. Just as the previous two albums, this promises to be ferocious, energetic, and brutalic black metal. I can’t wait!!!!

Album opener Wear These Scars of Testimony is pure brutalic black metal battery! The awesome riffs contained within this song along with the pure speed of it make it a perfect opener. Ben Falgoust sounds in fine form being able to interchange between very deep growling and lighter growling as such with ease. Next up is Bloodletting Upon The Cloven Hoof which continues with the pace laid down by the opener. Goatwhore seems to focus on the more brutalic sections of black metal with fast paced songs unlike other bands well known in the same genre such as Satyricon, Opeth, Khold and Cradle of Filth which do contain and implement slower parts into some of their songs.

Alchemy of The Black Sun Cult follows, and starts with a cracking guitar intro followed soon by them recognisable growls of Falgoust. This song for me stems just that bit away from the black metal side of things but you can still the basis is there. The guitar riffs are just brilliant, drumming and vocals are superb. Followed by shortest real track on the album, My Eyes Are The Spears of Chaos, is a short sharp burst of black metal energy and is a pacy number near enough all the way through, although we hear the first signs of a slow implementation worked into the song which complements it very well.

What can I say about the next track In The Narrow Confines of Defilement other than brilliant! Its so fast at the start, by the time your brain has caught up from the headbanging, it will be next week! At the longest track on the album at nearly five minutes, this track allows for more experimentation in the sections of the song. It slows right down in the central part to the end which is a relief because I’m not sure everybody could keep up the serious nodding with them. Yet the guitar work is brilliant in this and anybody who knows what the likes of the mighty Satyricon are capable of will love this!

Forever Consumed Oblivion follows which goes back to the similarity of the opening tracks of the album, fast, brutal, and very very good! This is followed by the title track of the album, A Haunting Curse. It is a very pacy number and the vocals are awesome at the beginning and continues through to a central section of the track which reminds me heavily of Gorgoroth. Sammy Duet so far the way through has been awesome on the guitar. The work is some of the best i have heard in this type of music.

Upcomes the very severe and brutalic Silence Marked By The Breaking of Bone. This is fast, dark and extremely good. The production of the album is first class! The vocals can be heard above the guitar, bass and drums and the every riff, drum beat, and bass line can be heard.

Diabolical Submergence of Rebirth pops up next and the album is finishing very strongly with this and the closing tracks. This is some of the heaviest, fast paced black metal that i have heard for some time, in fact it could verge of gaining entry for the pace into death or thrash metal possibly. This is followed by an interlude entitled Of Ashen Slumber which is just a short instrumental break until we arrive at the final track of the album.

Entitled I Avenge Myself, it is fast as usual, very heavy and quite brutal. A Haunting Curse is solid throughout and a very good album. The songs are fast, brutal and dark. The vocals complement the music brilliantly and sound really dark and demonic at times which is awesome and the music itself is extremely brilliant in itself. I can’t wait to see these live to see if the energy portrayed on the albums is portrayed on stage.

Rating: 4.4/5.0

Adam Fredericks

Released: 11th September 2006

Checkout http://www.goatwhore.net for more info on the band