It’s been over a year now since Type O Negative’s Peter Steele left us, creating a void in our need for depressing yet exceptional music. Enter A Pale Horse Named Death.
Formed by ex-Type O/current Life Of Agony drummer Sal Abruscato, the group consists of Sal on vocals/guitars, Type O’s Johnny Kelly on drums, guitarists Matt Brown and Bobby Hambel, and bassist Eric Morgan. The band will be releasing their debut album, And Hell Will Follow Me, on June 14.
Songs on this disc span so many different topics and genres, while Sal sings a bit monotone throughout (he’s normally a drummer, after all). There are tracks that cover frequent drug use, such as “Pill Head” and “Heroin Train,” to wanting to commit some brutality, like on the creepy “Serial Killer,” where Abruscato talks about kidnapping a girl before eventually murdering her and disposing of her corpse. There seems to be two fillers on the disc, however, with the intro “And Hell Will Follow Me” and the seventh listing, “Bad Dream.”
The emotional “To Die In Your Arms” is one of the better songs on the CD, as the guitars are much more present on this track than on others. The group decided to leave the best for last with “Die Alone.” It is incredibly gloomy yet somehow the talk of suicide and being all alone in the world makes this gothic tune very enjoyable.
The album isn’t on the same level as the legendary Type O Negative, but it’s not too far off. For a debut, it was a job well done from the group. But just the thought of Peter Steele singing these songs sends shivers up my spine.
In A Word: Melancholy
