While Goatwhore boys wrapped up the Metal Blade Records 35th Anniversary tour just some time ago, the NOLA boys have yet to show any sign of slowing down. Actually the band has yet to show any sign of slowing down after 20 years of extreme metal. Not only did they just wrap up a tour with Amon Amarth, but they just kicked off another tour with Anciients, and will be following up with another tour with Venom Inc. afterwards. Talk about commitment to playing hellfire metal and delivering Satanic screams of destruction!
Goatwhore have become a hallmark in the world of extreme metal. “I didn’t really picture doing this for 20 years,” vocalist Ben Falgoust says. “You never know how it’s going to turn out, it’s extreme metal. But to have that ability that one day some younger band will say ‘Goatwhore influenced me’… those are the fucking main moments of this.” It is with this in mind that Falgoust continues to play and create the music he loves, tapping into all that inspires him.
As of this year, the band will be releasing their seventh album, Vengeful Ascension. The band has always been known for their anti-Catholic themes, but this time around, Falgoust takes Goatwhore’s lyricism to a literary realm. “It’s the idea of hitting the bottom or everything that’s below the surface and hidden,” he shares when discussing the album title and what it means. “It’s an emotional thing, where sometimes the beginning of that journey up, or ascension, starts with retribution or revenge. And as you’re making that journey up to that peak, you realize there are other aspects along the way you learn, and it evolves you and changes things.” What Falgoust is alluding to here is the story of Lucifer from John Milton’s famous epic poem, Paradise Lost. “In that story, he [Satan] is sort of the anti-hero where God can pretty much destroy him at any moment,” he shares. “But no matter what, the fight to go up to the top is still there. And I think that kind of represents human nature.”
The tale of Paradise Lost tells the story of Lucifer’s banishment and rebellion from heaven. The book is one of the greatest religious and philosophical text of human history, questioning the stance of man’s free will, and his role alongside God. Falgoust is a strong reader of other biblical works, such as that of The Inferno. To him, there is more than the theatrical “Hail Satan” gimmicks that plague the metal world, but an idea to formulate something deeper in the genre. “I think metal has gotten to a more intelligent level,” he says. “And I think there is more of a deeper approach and aspect where a lot of these references of Lucifer or Satan, are more examples to point out things with individualistic statements.”
“You get to the point where this fictitious thing evolves into something personal, or something you see within life,” Falgoust says when shaping these tales into digestible stories. It is that method that has allowed artist to craft the great works of our time; to take these massive existential ideas, and work them into something relatable and personal, is what helps us grow and evolve as human beings. Falgoust keeps the lyrics to the band centered around literature, never aiming to take jabs or discuss today’s religious/political issues. For him, the music is a form of belief and exploring the world in a different manner. “The darker aspects of life have intrigued me as I was growing up, and they still do intrigue me,” he shares. “So, I involve them in my writing … these are the aspects I’ve decided to go after.” Vengeful Ascension tackles the themes of darkness as a path to enlightenment, and a means of personal exploration. In further discussing the meaning of the title, he states, “It is everything that quote-unquote people might label as evil or dark. It’s the inversion of hell where everything flips, and everything coming from below goes to the above.” The record, like Milton’s classic work, presents an idea to its audience, asking them to open their mind and challenge convention. To look deeper at the world around them, and take lead in their own path.
Goatwhore will always be an extreme metal band known for hellish shredding and raging screams. It is in Vengeful Ascension though where Falgoust and the gang take their art to a new level. The record is an outstanding ethereal work that captures ferocity, rebellion, and darkness. Musically, the work treads some new ground for the band, making for their most captivating work thus far in their career. Their consistent discipline and grind to create brutal music has easily earned Goatwhore the title as one of metal’s most extreme acts. “How you present the band, and utilize it to keep the legacy of extreme music and the legacy of heavy metal,” Falgoust says in regards to the band’s work, “and keeping that idea moving forward… I think that’s one of the best things I can get out of all of this.”
