A Pale Horse Named Death – Infernum In Terra
Release Date: 24th September 2021
Label: Long Branch Records / SPV
Bandcamp
Genre: Doom Metal
FFO: Black Sabbath, Type O Negative, Alice In Chains.
Review By: Martha Skourteli
A Pale Horse Named Death originate from New York and they’ve been around since 201,1 while they have already released 3 full length albums plus one EP. Their 4th full length is expected on the 24th of September via Long Branch Records/ SPV. The band is the spiritual child of Sal Abruscato, multi instrumentalist with a 4 year presence behind the drum kit of Type O Negative and many years drumming and song-writing for a lot more bands that appear in his resume.
I’ll start by saying I was never a fan of Type O Negative. Actually the one time I found myself at their concert in Athens, in July of 2007, I spent their whole setlist sitting on the ground waiting for them to finish so that I could watch Paradise Lost. Saying this and having tried unsuccessfully (for my taste) to check A Pale Horse Named Death in the past I didn’t expect to be necessarily excited by listening to their new creation (although I still had hope) and I was almost right.
Infernum In Terra consists of 11 compositions out of which we get the intro and outro that are a total of 5 minutes, one bridge of 1+ minute and 8 medium length songs.
The intro resembles hellish sounds and the name Infernum, meaning hell, fits great. The outro on the other hand is a nice calm piano melody which is accompanied by sounds that again fit exactly the picture of Souls In The Abyss like the title states.
There are surely a few very catchy songs that could play on the radio like Believe in Something (You Are Lost), Shards Of Glass and Slave To The Master. It’s worth mentioning the two very sabbathy songs, Two headed snake (Propofol dreams) which probably even Ozzy would like and Devil’s Deed, while there’s another good heavy track that can also get your attention, Lucifer’s Sun.
In all songs the crowned king is the guitars that really offer remarkable solos (the band has 3 guitarists – Sal Abruscato, Eddie Heedles and Joe Taylor – that offer an awesome result), beautiful riffs and sufficient heaviness to justify why the band is under the doom genre. The vocals though are a different story. I would like to hear a better voice, like the one late Peter Steele had. Sal Abruscato’s singing style sounds to me like a combination of Jerry Cantrell (Alice In Chains) with a touch of Sully Erna (Godsmack).
Lyrically, the songs are a little on the weak side. There’s too much rhyming and too much simplicity which is not necessary. In my humble opinion there should be a little mystery (even with the rhyming) and a few question marked meanings to challenge the listener. Some will say that music is to make you have a good time and not to puzzle you. Some will also say that we’re living in very difficult times and the last thing we need is to search what the poet wants to say. I’ll agree, but then again this isn’t pop music. This is music to entertain your heart, while at the same time playing with your mind and to make you feel good while discovering your inner world and your potential.
If you’re the type of person that’s looking for good inspired tunes that are combined with lyrics that will trigger your brain, will guide you down a path of wondering and have hidden meanings behind poetic expressions…this is not what you’re looking for.
The music is good, at times you can say it’s really very good (although there’s nothing innovative, but then again how often do we hear innovative things in music) but that’s where the positives end. It can be a record that plays when you’re having friends invited over to have a good time and enjoy some good music, but not the album you’ll listen to by yourself searching for artistic or spiritual stimulation. Kudos to the very good guitar solos that enrich each and all songs in the best way and the artwork for which I give my rating.
(3 / 5)
