A Pale Horse Named Death – Lay My Soul To Waste (SPV)
Sunday, 9th June 2013
Sal Abruscato is practically a one-man wrecking crew when you consider he plays drums, guitar and sings on Lay My Soul to Waste, the sophomore release from A Pale Horse Named Death. The former Type O Negative and Life of Agony drummer has found his true calling in the metal world, forming this band back in 2010 and setting out to play a mixture of doom/gothic metal. Lay My Soul to Waste is a whopping 50 minutes in length and it continues to pay homage to the signature sound laid out by Type O Negative.
A creepy mélange of synthesized voices and sounds starts things off, effectively setting up the somber tone permeating throughout the release. The first track “Shallow Grave” hits hard with coarse rhythms and sounding with some gritty urgency. Abruscato’s vocals begin with a mid-range and at times he reminds me of a cross between Peter Steele and Lane Staley, but they get more evocative as you go deeper into the album.
I find the Alice in Chains influences interesting, and on a track like “The Needle In You” the ultra heaviness is supported with a delicate balance of melody and harmonies. This trend continues with “Dead of Winter” which pushes through with an atmospheric/acoustic edge to it and ‘Day of the Storm” is a slow, brooding number and arguably the closest they get to sounding like Type O . My favorite song though is “Killer by Night” and the vibe is purely sleaze rock inspired, complete with a bluesy riffs to add a little something extra to the composition.
Lay My Soul to Waste is filled with dark energy and served on a platter of bleak atmosphere and haunting vibes. As a sophomore release, this might be the perfect tribute to Steele, and A Pale Horse Named Death is the ideal jumping on point for fans of Type O Negative.
A Pale Horse Named Death official site
