“Goatwhore” Interview by Keith Clements
We had the pleasure to talk over the phone with frontman Louis Benjamin Falgoust II of the American Extreme metal band Goatwhore. The band was formed in 1997 in New Orleans, Louisiana. The band has released 6 full length albums and the 7th Album is scheduled to release in June 2017 titled “Vengeful Ascension”. Let’s hear from Ben himself…….
Hi Ben, Greetings from Metalheads Forever Magazine, How are you today?
I’m good, how are you man, just got off from Work.
Constricting Rage of the Merciless came out in 2014, what’s happening with the band since then?
We did a bunch of touring here in the US, Australia, Europe, England and Canada. In between working on stuff for the new record. When we tour we don’t focus on lot of material, we fix the gap with lot of ideas and we jot them down. It’s when we sit down at home we start writing.
Since you have started writing material, any plans to put an album out this year?
Umm Let’s See, We did a big tour for Metalblade Records 35th Anniversary from February to end of March, now we are working on the new record. We do a little show here and there. And we have some plans for later this year as well.
Most of the Black Metal bands songs are lyrically satanic and Anti-Christian, Why is it so?
I think it’s deeper now, Everything I do, but in the beginning we were focusing more on those. And we are getting deeper on esoteric angle of life and structure of beliefs and stuffs like that. I have blended a lot of more literary stuff and things like that and then we do have some upfront basics on stuff like Satan and shit like that, it’s more traditional metal and more in faith and then we have impact on more stuff. I would say more Intelligent ideas and things of that nature. I think it’s always a deep rooted thing a whole lotta themes about being oppressed by any kind of outside structure, you know? be it religion or political and things like that, you know what has been going on now, everyone is fighting for a serious cause.
You have a love for Freddie Mercury and the band Queen, Being in a Black Metal band and Queen being an Influence is really something, could you please say about that?
I think everyone has different kind of Influences, It don’t have to be metal but you know the earlier Queen has a lot of metal stuff in them and the musical structure. Some call us Black Metal some Thrash Metal and some take us as a heavy metal band, There are a lot of elements we’ve been into. The thing about Freddy I would never be a Vocalist like Freddy Mercury, he is just phenomenal. I can take the elements of what he did in the vocals and as an Individual I can try on what I do on extreme metal. I can never sing like Rob Halford the way his patterns on he is a big influence same thing like Freddie Mercury. So they have been an Influence but I cannot sing like them, the essence of what they did I can adapt into my Vocals.
You don’t tour much like other bands do in this competitive world, how do you manage to get known throughout the world?
I think there’s a lot of bands out there and so much is going on. I remember when I was a kid there were few bands that I knew but now the Internet had made known a lot of bands out there. I don’t see it as a competition it does make looking harder as a fan. Not many bands worry about it they just do their own thing and go forward from there. Some bands do music for fun and some do lot of tours and promotion. The internet has changed a lot of things, record labels have changed and lot of bands don’t need record labels anymore. There’s a lot of variation in all of that.
Is the music business full time for the band ? or do you guys have other professions you do for a living?
Well I have a Job, I do it temporarily when I’m home, but other band members don’t really have regular jobs pur say but they have a way of making it on their own with the band. Even after a tour when I come home it could be for two weeks I do a job as you know at the end of the day we have bills to pay. Its funny most people think like being in a band, you make a lot of money and you have fancy cars and stuff like that but not every band is Mastodon or Lamb of God.
Do you ever had a feeling about making an album which is not Metal?
Umm I can do Death Metal, hahaha, I know what you mean something that is not metal, I don’t think that as of now but as a band we are evolving. Now, I will never look into the past and say oh we shouldn’t have done that and I think we are all in a growing process. I know we were so wild and energetic when we were young and we evolved as we age. We never look back and see the evolution of it. I don’t think I will go to that terrain about doing something that is not metal.
It’s really nice talking to you pal, do you have a message for the fans?
A New record is coming out June 2017 “Vengeful Ascension”. No matter what there’s a lot of bands out there and if you really dig a band (I’m not really talking about us) I’m talking about any extreme metal bands that you love. If you really like a band go buy their music and Merchandise. They do a lot of hard work to bring it out there to the public. I know we download a lot of music from the Internet, I know it’s alright because people don’t have enough money to buy all the stuff but if you really love a band you got to support them by buying their music and merchandise. It doesn’t mean us, I’m standing for the entire metal community.
Thanks Ben for your time, See you soon out there, have a good Evening pal.
Keith Clements/MHF Magazine
