Pale Horseman - For the Dust Thou Art

Share this on Facebook | Share this on Twitter

"For the Dust Tho Art" is the 5^th album busted out from the western Lake Michigan shores by PALE HORSEMAN (2011) a Sweet Home Chicago, Illinois punishing 4-piece metal band from the USA. Their music combines elements of sludge, doom and death metal and PALE HORSEMAN have worked in the studio with some of their biggest influences including Dennis Pleckham of BONGRIPPER, Noah Landis of NEUROSIS and Justin Broadrick - metal drummer, guitarist and deity of GODFLESH – righteous.
We are lost in a sacred world …From the opener ‘Tundra’, it is parole board piss-test clear that these lads dig the mighty GODFLESH. PALE HORSEMAN square up with dual guitarists/vocalists Eric and Andre serving up a hot load of vocals along with scorching guitar tones worthy of a rig rundown. The vocals with heavy EFX treatment remind me of fellow Illinois soul and legend Al Jourgenson of MINISTRY. The band’s sound does diverge from straight industrial loops with drummer Jason Schryver hanging time on the drum kit – the guy is a machine but adds enough swing to bring the human touch to their mechanized assault.

Mid-tempo lambaster ‘Scourge’ continues the advance, and I have to mention the big bottom mix – my early morning listening session at low volume rattles my kidneys with a passing tank 40Hz rumble that actually flutters my listening studio, mighty impressive. ‘Scourge’ throws down groovy guitar swerves and passages, my favourite song here if I can only have one. Electro-hypnode ‘Archangel’ sparks and fluxes like a stick welding rod burning down; played at sufficient volume this song will induce neurosis in anyone standing within the blast zone, ya mon.

‘Disenchanter’ with a tender Arabesque guitar intro is a love song for the times, hard times – like if you were doing 10 to 20 years in Old Joliet. Drum Lord Jason shows his riffing and meter-slicing mastery, not just on this song - on the whole release. This guy is a beast. Digression from the Underworld … ‘Vagrants’ is a poetic and sludgy six and a half minute nightmare. ‘Cydonia’ ends this discourse on drill press and radial arm saw guitar tones with a pareidolia splatter of badass-ness that you can wig-out to while a lit Marlboro scorches your knuckles.

‘FOR THE DUST THOU ART’ is a good time beatdown of extreme metal delivered at a mailman’s pace. Drum blasts stamp the music here and there but this is a mid-tempo music crusher full of riffs that expand your mind while taking your brain’s neurons out for a walk and returning them with the zippers undone. PALE HORSEMAN sound like an American band to me and I hope to catch them live in the Chi-Town music scene in this new decade of Thee Roaring ‘20’s. Bloody good show lads ¡!

The dani bandolier Spotify playlist of reviewed bands … Comrades, you have only your chains to lose…

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/272H3UBARsuksY3BqU0CzP?si=h8iXLurqS_CUxFMXCWENWQ

Songwriting: 9
Musicianship: 9
Memorability: 9
Production: 9

https://palehorseman.bandcamp.com/album/for-dust-thou-art