HORSE DRAWN HEARSE

Horse Drawn Hearse is an EP release by Dutch experimental/ drone black metal act Gnaw Their Tongues. The EP was released in February 2006 on CD-R in handmade cardboard sleeve and in a download version. The 27:58 minute long EP contains 3 long tracks ranging from 7 to almost 11 minutes in length.

The music on Horse Drawn Hearse is unmistakably the sound of Gnaw Their Tongues. It´s eerie experimental/ drone black metal, with unpleasant samples of screams and mad talking to accompany the dark music. The music is slow and heavy and almost cinematic at times. The vocals ( Tortured raspy screams) are low in the mix and work more as an extra instrument than regular vocals. The EP starts with the extremely heavy and repetitive The Behemoth Crawls Ashore. Repetitive in this case should not be interpreted as anything bad though. The repetitive nature of the music only enhance the eerie claustrophobic and unpleasant atmosphere in the song. The repetitive drone is overdone a bit in the first half of Horse Drawn Hearse, but the second half of that song is great material. Another Study in Bleakness and Despair is another great track. Quite chaotic to the ear, but after a few spins the details begin to unfold.

The production is filthy, noisy and raw yet detailed and greatly enjoyable.

Mories one-man army has yet again proven that he is without a doubt one of the most creative forces on the more experimental part of the extreme metal scene at the moment. All his releases hold a very high quality level and to top it off he makes unique music, that stands out from the rest of the pack. Horse Drawn Hearse deserves a 3.5 star rating. Maybe a 4 star rating is more deserved but I´m hesitant because of the occasinal monotone part, so for now it´s a 3.5 star rating.