Goatwhore unleashes Carving Out the Eyes of God: Metal music for true beastly heathens!

June 25, 1:37 AMHeavy Metal ExaminerMark Morton

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What truly amazes me about New Millennium metal is its seeming limitless creativity and the fact that all these years later, bands can still release albums that surprise me. While 2009 is shaping up to be the year of “math metal”, deathcore, and other complexities, it’s great to stumble across an album like Goatwhore’s latest, Carving Out the Eyes of God.

This is a band that, on the surface (and by a glance at their name and album art), one might pass off as another blast-horny, wish-they-were-from-Norway, no-style-no-substance, American black metal band. These guys, while it’s true they are American, are about as black metal as Venom. Although Venom is credited with starting the black metal game, the genre has (d)evolved beyond the genre’s original conventions. And it is a tag that does not do Goatwhore any justice

Goatwhore doesn’t actually blend genres; it is simply one of those bands on the cusp of a genre without a name – one that utilizes rudiments of grindcore, black, death, thrash metal in a naturally-manifesting spiked gauntlet of metallic goodness. It is bands like Goatwhore that make me wish that the mainstream media wasn’t so jaded towards metal. This kind of stuff gets passed over every day by the Rolling Stoners, Spinsters, and Billboardites, simply because they all largely deem extreme metal as some form of meatheaded throwback to medieval human barbarism – and something that isn’t Metallica.

In a manner of speaking, they’re quite right. Carving Out the Eyes of God is a no-frills, meat-and-potatoes album that would fit quite well as a the soundtrack to a Conan-esque battle. This is heavy metal that lustily fondles the old school like a 13-year-old boy having his first close encounter with a pair of boobs. Throughout the album, one can easily pick up on flavors of everything from Celtic Frost, Slayer, and Gorefest to Napalm Death and hints of Emperor and Cradle of Filth in a glorious orgy of metal madness.

It’s not chaotic, poserish, or Hot Topic-friendly. This is straight-up, brutal, fist-to-your-face metal that kicks ass and takes names. And the charm of a band like Goatwhore is it is self-styled to be the perfect touring companion with anyone in the genre.

As luck would have it, the band is currently on the road, and will be for the foreseeable future! Do yourself a favor and go get your face melted by Goatwhore!

Current tour dates include:

With Abigail Williams, Dååth, Abysmal Dawn, S.W.W.A.A.T.S.

06/25 in Jacksonville, FL at Jack Rabbits
06/26 in St. Petersburg, FL at The Garage
06/27 in Raleigh, NC at Volume 11
06/28 in Virginia Beach, VA at Peppermint Beach Club
06/29 in Baltimore, MD at Sonar
06/30 in Louisville, KY at Uncle Pleasants
07/01 in Waterloo, IA at Spicoli’s Grill
07/02 in Minneapolis, MN at 7th Street Entry
07/03 in Thunder Bay, ON, Canada at Black Pirate Pub
07/04 in Winnipeg, MB, Canada at Royal Albert Arms
07/05 in Regina, SK, Canada at Exchange
07/06 in Saskatoon, SK, Canada at Walkers
07/07 in Edmonton, AB, Canada at Starlite Room
07/08 in Calgary, AB, Canada at The Underground
07/10 in Victoria, BC, Canada at Sugar Nightclub
07/11 in Vancouver, BC, Canada at The Biltmore
07/12 in Seattle, WA at El Corazon
07/13 in Portland, OR at Satyricon
07/14 in San Francisco, CA at Thee Parkside
07/15 in West Hollywood, CA at The Whiskey
07/16 in San Marcos, CA at Jumping Turtle
07/17 in Las Vegas, NV at Cheyenne Saloon
07/18 in Farmington, NM at Gators Bar Grill
07/19 in Denver, CO at Larimer Lounge
07/20 in Kansas City, MO at The Riot Room
07/21 in Nashville, TN at The Muse
07/22 in Danville, VA at Plan B
07/23 in New York, NY at The Blender Theatre
07/24 in West Springfield, VA at Jaxx Nightclub
07/25 in Hartford, CT at Webster Theatre
07/26 in Montreal, QC, Canada at Foufounes Electriques
07/27 in Toronto, ON, Canada at Wreck Room
07/28 in Rochester, NY at Penny Arcade
07/29 in Cleveland, OH at Peabody's
07/30 in Mokena, IL at The Pearl Room
07/31 in Urbana, IL at Canopy Club
08/01 in Milwaukee, WI at The Rave
08/02 in Edelstein, IL at The Hub
08/03 in Tulsa, OK at Marquee
08/04 in Oklahoma City, OK at The Conservatory
08/05 in Houston, TX at Scout Bar
08/06 in San Antonio, TX at Scout Bar
08/07 in Ft. Worth, TX at Lola's
08/08 in Austin, TX at Red 7
08/09 in Amarillo, TX at The War Legion Underground

With Obituary, Krisiun, The Berzerker, Warbringer

09/03 in Tucson, AZ at The Rock
09/04 in Mesa, AZ at U.B.'s Bar View
09/05 in Farmington, NM at Gator's
09/06 in Denver, CO at Bluebird Theater
09/08 in San Marcos, CA at Jumping Turtle
09/09 in Los Angeles, CA at Key Club
09/10 in San Francisco, CA at Slims
09/11 in Portland, OR at Hawthorne Theater
09/12 in Seattle, WA at El Corazon
09/14 in Victoria, BC, Canada at Sugar
09/15 in Vancouver, BC, Canada at Plaza Club
09/16 in Prince George, BC, Canada at Roll-A-Dome
09/17 in Calgary, AB, Canada at Warehouse
09/18 in Edmonton, AB, Canada at Starlite Room
09/19 in Regina, SK, Canada at The Riddell
09/20 in Winnipeg, MB, Canada at Royal Albert Arms
09/21 in St. Paul, MN at Station 4
09/22 in Milwaukee, WI at The Rave
09/23 in Mokena, IL at Pearl Room
09/24 in Cleveland, OH at Pirates Cove
09/25 in Toronto, ON, Canada at Opera House
09/26 in Quebec City, QC, Canada at Imperial
09/27 in Montreal, QC, Canada at Foufounes Electriques
09/28 in Syracuse, NY at Westcott Theatre
09/29 in New York, NY at Blender Theatre at Gramercy
09/30 in Worcester, MA at Palladium
10/01 in Philadelphia, PA at Trocadero
10/02 in Raleigh, NC at Volume 11
10/03 in Asheville, NC at Orange Peel
10/04 in Louisville, KY at Headliners Music Hall
10/05 in Nashville, TN at The Muse
10/06 in Sauget, IL at Pop's
10/07 in Ft. Worth, TX at Lola's
10/08 in San Antonio, TX at Scout Bar