- Elementary Revolt

8/11/2007

Tracklist

1. Bliss [4:43]
2. Yes, I Do Own Clothes [4:45]
3. Holy Trinity Church Student Bar [6:11]
4. One but Not Metallica [6:36]
5. Mustn't Grumble [4:21]
6. Rides in (On a Cash Cow) [4:43]
7. Look What Pale Horse Has Done to Me [7:10]
8. Don't Die On an Empty Stomach [2:44]
9. Sun Starved Day (Be Patient) [5:31]

Info

Opener "Bliss" consists of nothing but heavily distorted lulls that decay into eerie feedback or low-end drones with the occasional bashed bass note/chord, creating an unclear picture that only hints at what this UK unit has to offer. It's only when "Yes, I Do Own Clothes" kicks in with the full band that Pale Horse's brand of absolutely bleak sludge/doom becomes apparent: Nasty distortion, low tuning, pounding slow tempos... the works. And the cackled vocal screams (at times giving way to soft spoken passages) really fit the aesthetic of the music quite nicely, adding a more acerbic bite to the forefront. Imagine Burning Witch meets Dystopia meets Engine Kid with a few more subtly melodic/dissonant flirtations reminiscent of Godflesh's less tangible instrumentation. There's definitely a lot of space here, with hard-hitting percussion, not to mention a very dominant bass presence... in fact, I think there may be two bassists, as most tracks don't seem to have guitars involved. So, for the most part, expect a constant bludgeoning of sinister atmospheres that definitely invoke a lot of disturbed feelings... but the melodic undercurrents definitely lend a nice helping hand and keep things more colorful. Among some of the more notable moments are when "One But Not Metallica" drops in some deep growling vocals against the screams, and "Mustn't Grumble" uses quietly filtered spoken vocals and dry acoustic guitars to create one of the most moving and unique compositions herein. However, closer "Sun Starved Day (Be Patient)" is fucking amazing, bringing in overtly melodic distorted guitars with lots of ringing chords and soft vocals that are faintly sung - definitely the strongest Godflesh allusions herein, and a song so powerful that it practically eclipses the rest of the disc. An impressive finish, for sure. I'm fucking blown away there. The recording is great as well. Nice and thick, very powerful, clear as fucking day, and still retaining a lot of space and natural presence. The drums sound pretty damn good with a great ring to the cymbals, the vocals are right in the heart of the music, the bass guitar(s) are more effective than most bands who use them so dominantly, and the guitars (when present) sound excellent in all forms - the basically untainted acoustics actually among my favorite textures on the entire CD. Visually this looks quite nice. I'm a big fan of both the colors and general style of the photography, and the handwritten lyrics/text provide another nice touch. There's not a booklet, just two two-sided cards with imagery and text. The lyrics are quite curious, ranging from bleak and abstract to rather narrative, but still obscure: "There's five seconds left till never, Hanged by angel's hair you severed, You cannot conceive of forever, You will be built up to never know..." This is a very strong release, but after hearing the mighty "Sun Starved Day (Be Patient)" I must deduce that this is but a mere taste of what this band is capable of. Its finer moments are absolutely masterful, not that the rest isn't great, it is... but I'm telling you, check out this fucking "Sun Starved Day..." track and you'll be fucking floored. Great work. I look forward to hearing more.

Aversionline

Listen: Rides in (On a Cash Cow)

MySpace

http://www.myspace.com/thispalehorse

DD

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Etiquetas: doom, drone, Gee That Ain't Swell., Pale Horse, sludge