Emerging from the swamplands of New Orleans, Louisiana – a city rich with urban legends of voodoo curses, ghosts and murder – Goatwhore was formed in 1997 by guitarist Sammy Duet (Acid Bath, Crowbar, Ritual Killer etc.). Their history is a winding one marked by lineup shifts, temporary paralysis, haunted studios, and the survival of one of the five most destructive hurricanes in US history. Influenced by the raw savagery of bands like Venom and Celtic Frost, their unrefined, fuck-all approach to black metal first revealed on the Serenades To The Tides Of Blood demo and expanded upon on the now legendary Eclipse Of Ages Into Black debut nearly a decade ago earned the band instant underground credibility. Then comprised of Duet, vocalist Ben Falgoust and guitarist Ben Stout (both of Soilent Green), bassist Patrick Bruders and drummer Zak Nolan, Goatwhore toured relentlessly and by 2003 had garnered a loyal cult following of metal fans old and new. Second full-length Funeral Dirge for the Rotting Sun was a slower, more introverted affair that transcended well beyond the confines of traditional black metal. Impossibly heavy and lyrically dense, with Falgoust’s and Duet’s high-to-low vocal tradeoffs fusing its menacing atmosphere, the 12-tracks within were met with equal approval and the band quickly returned to the road.