Two bordering states, four bands and sweltering humidity were the factors present for Goatwhore’s return to DFW Saturday night.
Joining the Louisiana headliners were Fort Worth based Frozen Soul, Houston’s Necrofier and local outfit Maiestas. It was an evening of black, death and sweat slinging metal, an accurate description if needed.
The stop was the fourth of five consecutive scheduled Texas dates that featured Goatwhore, Frozen Soul and Necrofier.
Early support Maiestas spewed their thrashing black death metal with daylight still present. It’s a normal standard for the slot during outdoor shows in the summer months.
Frozen Soul has been the early national support but since the band was on their home turf, Necrofier followed Maiestas.
Darkness began to descend as the Houston blackmetal outfit Necrofier took the stage. The band brought forth their heavy melodic black metal, appeasing those against the stage and elsewhere. Pulling material from their soon to be Seasons in the Mist release Prophecies of Eternal Darkness.
As Necrofier brought their set to a close, there was a vibe present, a feeling with but with no words. There was something lingering as locals turned national Frozen Soul prepped for their set.
The band would be supporting their early 2021 Crypt of Ice release through Century Media Records.
Just the presence of vocalist Chad Green’s thick, black chain welded mic stand alone in purplish light sent a message. This gave clues to decipher the feeling, crushing.
That’s what Frozen Soul did once the intro ended. The band went into the first of many head leveling heavy riffs.
Immediately there was a flurry of activity. From mounted and handheld video cameras, a massive pit and flying beverages, Frozen Soul had pure death metal momentum.
Then the unthinkable. The crushing set sustained a silent blow. Power for the entire GMBG facility went out.
Quickly a chant of “F*ck this Sh*t” started. The power outage only lasted a few minutes but the time seemed like an eternity.
Sections of light in the restaurant and outdoor venue came back on one at a time but the damage was done. Froze Soul did recover but the near perfect set of brutality was tarnished.
Following the Frozen Soul set, the crowd was antsy for Goatwhore and their return.
The New Orleans band decked out in black with a serious display of spikes and studs were led by vocalist L. Ben Falgoust II (Ben). The band proceeded to set their pace with the set opener “Nocturnal Holocaust,” followed by “Blood Guilt Eucharist” and “Alchemy of the Black Sun Cult.”
Bathed in constant green and red light, Goatwhore pushed forward with a searing set as Falgoust stalked about. Guitarist Sammy Duet in impressive armor commanded his side of the stage with riffs, speeds and leads. Goatwhore was tight and solid while slicing through the 12-song set.
The mishaps were now a thing of the past.
The small run of dates only hit Texas but Goatwhore will have a handful of shows in the coming weeks and months. Most notably will be their appearance at Psycho Las Vegas 2021 August 20 – 22, 2021.
It’s a good sign with the turnout at the GMBG for the Goatwhore show, may there be more no matter what band.
