A Pale Horse Named Death – And Hell Will Follow Me

Artist: A Pale Horse Named Death
Album: And Hell Will Follow Me
Label: To Be Announced
Website: http://www.myspace.com/apalehorsenameddeath

The brainchild of Sal Abruscato (Type-O-Negative , Life Of Agony) is a brooding, gothic, rockin, rip roarin good  listen! Over the last 12 months I had been eagerly anticipating this album to the point where anything less than Bloody Kisses might not have sufficed for me.  Couple the tragic passing of Peter Steele with those highly unfair expectations and there was simply an itch that needed to be scratched for Type-O-Negative fans world wide. Whether Sal knew it or not, fans who knew about this album were waiting with baited breath. No pressure Sal! You all can exhale – “And Hell Will Follow Me” will scratch that itch into a gore covered mess, but in the way Sal intended- his way! Not Peter’s, or anyone else!

A Pale Horse Named Death is not a replacement for Type O Negative – nor should it be, or was it ever intended to be. It is bubbling cauldron of the aforementioned Type-O-Negative with a very solid footing into the Layne Staley and Alice In Chains world. Whether Sal intended to or not, he put forth a unique record that takes elements of TON and AIC and meshes the two together into a very old school rock sound. A sound that simply makes every track be accessible for radio, but scratch the itch of grieving Goth’s worldwide.

Sal Abruscato

“As Black As My Heart” kicks in with some guitar work that feels very familiar. Very Jerry Cantrell! But as you listen closer, you hear the trademark drums of Type – O Negative and some guitar distortion that screams Kenny Hickey. The vibe is cool and confident during the bridge, then like that a rocking chorus that would flow perfectly on XM Radio’s Octane, busts out of your speakers. The dirge at the end that sees Abruscato scream his brains out, but is still accessible enough to not be stinging to the ear.

“To Die In Your Arms” is a perfect unification of Goth and  Alice In Chains. There is really no other way to describe it. But it is original! A combination I personally have not heard before.  Sal coos “To die in your arms is my pleasure” as the guitars trudge through gallons of sludge. Love it!

“Devil In The Closet” is a grinding listen that you keep waiting for the track to take off. But it is big, heavy and grubby. Sort of like listening to Crowbar. You always want Crowbar to pick up the tempo, but it is that borderline tempo release that keeps you listening…then the thunder fades away. Sal achieved the same formula for success here. Pull up your Sith cloak and listen to this one with your friend Palpatine!

Readers might find this weird, but I heard alot of Paint It Black by The Rolling Stones in “Cracks In The Walls. The intro of Paint It Black and the bridge of this track are eerily similar. Not sure Sal meant for this to happen, or maybe I am bat shit crazy- but give it a listen.  High praise- I know! Sal does a great job of giving a tip of the cap to rock from the past with this listen.

I never thought I would ever compare Stone Temple Pilots with anything to do with the Brooklyn Crew. But I am. “Bath In My Blood (Schizophrenia In Me)” has a song structure that would fit Scott Weiland’s way of rockin. But Sal pulls it off. Who knew this crazy voice was sitting behind the TON & LOA kit?

“Die Alone” is my favorite track of the record. It is a fantastic goth song.  It screams Type-O-Negative. Powerful, brooding, black! The name fits the wound like a blood clot. I mentioned earlier in the review that APHND scratches an itch? This hulking monster will fill a small part of the void left by Mr. Steele.

Sal & Peter Steele

I would love to see future works have a stronger synth component. Josh Silver? Additionally, it would be interesting to see Sal explore a concept album telling a story. Something around the Four Horsemen Of The Apocalypse maybe? More Keith Caputo, who lended his pipes to the effort? Musing aloud!

Alas, news is on the horizon. Sal and Matt Brown signed a record deal and will be announcing that soon. Additionally, one would assume they need to fill roster spots within the band.

As Peter once wrote a song called “Everything Dies!” Acceptance! Cherish the past, feel the past, don’t forget it. But live in the here and now. Sal Abruscato created an album that his friend Peter would be proud of. But more importantly, it is alive, new and refreshing. It is not finger tapping metal! It isn’t Vampire music. It isn’t one of the ten million stoner rock bands coming out. It isn’t radio rock! Hell Will Follow Me is the intricately stitched unification of old school rock and roll with soulless Goth! A sound in my 10+  years of reviewing albums I do not recall hearing. And if I did, it was obviously forgettable. With that said, as a long time fan of TON this album liberated me from thinking about Peter and TON, and fixating on supporting this band and Seventh Void. With every death the Phoenix will rise! In this instance, it tore into existence riding on A Pale Horse Named Death.

HitThePit Scale: 8.5 out of 10

Track Listing:

1. And Hell Will follow Me
2. As Black As My Heart
3. To Die In Your Arms
4. Heroine Train
5. Devil In The Closet
6. Cracks In The Walls
7. Bad Dream
8. Bath In My Blood (Schizophrenia In Me)
9. Pill Head
10. Meat The Wolf
11. Seriel Killer
12. When Crows Descend Upon You
13. Die Alone

Share This Post

An Ode to Peter Steel (RIP) & Type-O-Negative

In my life I have very few hero’s (for lack of a better term- strongly admirered people maybe?). Larry Bird, Red Auerbach, Leonard Nimoy, Gary Cohen and Peter Steele. Yesterday the second of my hero’s passed away. To me, Peters creative genius being silenced forever is a loss for everyone. I feel for the band members of Type-O-Negative and Peter’s family, but I challenge you to listen closely to the music he wrote and not be moved, or not relate in some capacity. Is it possible Peter’s best musical days were ahead of him? It has been said with age comes wisdom…could he have put forth his masterpiece in his 50’s? We will now never know….and to me that is the worst part of yesterday’s news.

Peter is the single most tormented musician I ever interviewed. Humor was a mask for the pain of loss and loneliness he felt in his life. Every time I met him I came away thinking “what a great guy, but what is so terrible in his life?” If you listen to the music you hear pain in lines like “I’m searching for something that can’t be found…but I’m hoping!” and the first lines of Life Is Killing Me (Album) he said “I don’t want to be…I don’t wanna be me anymore!”. Then on the turn of the dime he would unleash something emotional, beautiful and very powerful (see. “Love You To Death”, “How Could She”, “Pyretta Blaze”). His dynamic beauty and torment is what made Peter the incredibly unique musician and person that he was and what he will forever be in music.

Peter has been a common bond in my family. My Mom and brother all agree that simply put – “Peter is awesome!” Today I feel for the band members. I also feel for Peter in that he was never able to find complete happiness in life. But mostly, I am saddened that the musical odyssey known as Type-O-Negative came to an abrupt end with Peter’s death. An an unfinished chapter if you will..a much to soon ending without buttoned up loose ends to the story.

It has been said that music is the soundtrack to your life. Peter wrote soundtracks for thousands of people worldwide. Even in death those soundtracks live on. Thanks to Peter for the time over the years, for being inadvertently part of some wonderful memories with my college friends and family (yes my Mom even joined me for a TON concert), for being the common bond that tied the knot between me and my significant other and most importantly- for writing simply amazingly unique music while being a real life human- flaws for all to see! I will miss you and will think of you every Halloween.

REVIEW: Rosaline – A Constant North

Artist: Rosaline
Album: A Constant North
Label: Eulogy Recordings
Website: myspace.com/rosaline

(I am reviewing this album as requested by a post in our comments. If you have an album you want us to review, shoot us an email to hitthepit@websiteultra.com and let us know!)

Rosaline is what I would call a punkcore band.  They mix keyboards and jazzy mellow guitar with screaming, grinding riffs and pounding drums. Think of them like Angels And Airwaves meets Killswitch Engage meets Yanni. That’s right, I said Yanni! Combine all this with audio effects, and you get a glimpse of what Rosaline is about. Incidentally, “Rosaline” is an unseen character from Romeo & Juliet, so their name choice may give you a glimpse into how different they are.

First off, the album is a bit short. Nine songs lasting a total of just over 37 minutes. Faithful readers know that I am not a big fan of putting out short cds. Spend another week or two, develop a couple more songs and then finish the album. Don’t rip us off by selling us a half an album at full price. That being said, I will go lenient of Rosaline since they are a new band and just getting momentum going.

Overall their sound is original and works. The angst ridden vocals and melodic bridges are worked to perfection, intertwining to create a fantastically different sound. Their melodies are every bit as satisfying as Angels & Airwaves, and their hardcore roots are just as visceral as bands like Atreyu and Killswitch.

Their flaws come from needles repititions and lengthy artsy interludes. “Pin The Sea To The Wall” has a 42 second “ethereal” guitar riff which is uninspired and pretentious sounding. I get that this is part of their sound, but that is far too long to leave a listener hanging. The riff shows no particular talent or imagination, and a 5 to 10 second bit would have worked far better.

Songs like “The White City” work far better for me. While it still has a repetitive artsy bit(this time at the end), it is far more talent driven and less life draining. I would still have liked it shortened, but I didn’t hate it as much as I did with “Pin The Sea To The Wall”.  The song starts with a kitchy guitar plucking riff and light, airy vocals which in a flash turn into thrashing guitar and guttural vocal belching. This is where their true artistry shines brightest, as the same guitar plucking riff meshes just as beautifully with the harder bits. I absolutely love the way they are able to mesh these two dichotomies.

I get the feeling the band may look on their instrumental tangents as akin to Grateful Dead’s. For me, it comes across as obnoxious and jarring. I love everything else about this band, and if they could lighten up on those repetitive eternities, they might even be one of my favorite new bands. The rest of their sound has everything they need to be successful: originality, passion, talent, emotion and grit. They are both paradoxical and brilliant, and have gotten my attention.

Rating: 7 out of 10

Suggested Tracks: “White City”, “Brother, We’ll Save You Now”,  “A Silver Meridian”

Track Listing:

1. The New Utah

2. Culture Wars

3. Brother, We’ll Save You Now

4. Pin The Sea To The Wall

5. In True Pisces Fashion

6. The White City

7. Polaris

8. A Silver Meridian

9. Children Of Latitude

Share This Post

REVIEW: Kittie-In The Black

Artist: Kittie
Album: In The Black
Label: E1 Music
Website: kittierocks.com

The fifth album from the all female metal legends Kittie came out in stores yesterday, and I have to say I am disappointed. All signs point to the fact that inspirationally their music is suffering. From a short album to uninspired songwriting, this is not their best effort to say the least.

My first bitch is about the length of the album-an anorexic 40.8 minutes. To me, that is barely more than an EP. Just because it has 12 songs does not make it an album. The first song is just an instrumental, and only lasts 1:29, and three other songs are less than 3 minutes long. Of the nine songs that are left, three are just a couple seconds over 3 minutes long, leaving six actual full length songs. For this you pay full retail price? Ripoff!

Next, lets talk about the songs themselves. The harmonic melody mixed with trashing guitars and pounding drums that has made Kittie famous barely even makes a presence. The first full song, “My Plague” is all scream no melody, and there is nothing wrong with that. If they feel like going in a different direction musically, go for it. You may lose some of your fans, but you should stay true to yourself. This song is actually pretty kick ass. Slayer-like guitars, guttural screaming  and crazy fast drums get your blood pumping. If the whole album was like this, no problem.

The next few songs seem to try and take that sound and start easing back into their old style at the same time, until you work your way to the middle of the album and songs like “Forgive And Forget” and “Sleepwalking”. These songs give you at least a taste of their old sound once again, but only a taste. They never quite make it back to the way they sounded on their previous four albums.

Other songs, at the top of the list “Ready Aim Riot” seem to have nothing of substance at all. It seems as if they were stretching for songs to put on the album to get to 12, someone came up with a “cool” name for one, and they banged something out in five minutes. Plain and simple, it doesn’t work. There’s no passion, it sounds forced, and that is what pervades this album.

“The Truth” is probably my favorite song on the album. It has a stoner-rock feel to it, which while it is not their usual sound works. Crunching bass, wailing guitar and guttural vocals mixed with intermissions of a great melodic chorus mark something different, yet familiar. This is also the longest song on the album, passing the six minute mark, which may speak to the fact that when you have a song that truly works, it flows naturally and almost has a life all its own. I think that at least on this album, there is definitely a correlation between length of song and merit of song.

This whole album sounds lackluster and uninspired, with few exceptions. Maybe the album title gives us a clue as to why. Perhaps “In The Black” refers to the fact that they may be making money now, and that has led to contentment, which has led to lack of  inspiration. Even their single “Cut Throat”, which appears on the Saw VI soundtrack, has nothing exceptional about it. There are a few shining beacons of non-suckitude(see recommended tracks below), but overall this is an album you can skip. Buy the recommended tracks on Itunes, then move on.

Rating:4 out of 10. On musical merit alone I might give this a five or maybe even six, but combined with the short album and too many short songs, it’s just not a good effort.

Suggested Tracks: “Forgive & Forget”, “Sleepwalking”, “The Truth”

Track Listing:

1. Kingdome Come

2. My Plague

3. Cut Throat

4. Die My Darling

5. Sorrow I Know

6. Forgive & Forget

7. Now or Never

8. Falling Down

9. Sleepwalking

10. Whiskey Love Song

11. Ready Aim Riot

12. The Truth


Share This Post

GWAR Is Still Kicking Ass

Remember GWAR? You know, the alien invaders who sing about injecting dinosaur eggs with crack and the ensuing chaos once it hatches? Well, I hadn’t thought about them in years, but they are still alive and going strong. In fact, their latest album, Lust In Space debuted at number 96 on the Billboard Top 200, marking their highest ranking to date. Apparently, GWAR’s lead singer Oderus Orungus even appeared on a light night Fox News show called Red Eye. Not once, but six times!

The band consists of :

Lead Singer: Oderus Orungus

Guitars: Balsac The Jaws Of Death and Flatus Maximus

Drums: Jizmak Da Gusha

Bass: Beefcake The Mighty

GWAR’s funny style of metal is truly original, and their videos and concerts are absolute entertainment: Full costumes, fake blood and gore abound. I remember some of my friends from about 10 years ago never bought band videos, but would buy any GWAR videos the day they came out.

If you haven’t heard them before, give them a chance. Here is a video for their hit “Crack In The Egg” to whet your appetite. Enjoy.

Share This Post

Metal Has Become Mainstream

I’ve noticed something recently, which kind of took me by surprise. Somehow, quietly, heavy metal has become mainstream. No longer are we the bastard children of the music industry. I remember talk for a long time that rap would always be more mainstream than metal, but not anymore.

Don’t believe me? Go watch any non-chick flick movie trailer. Almost all of them have heavy metal playing in the background. Need further proof? How about Guitar Hero Metallica? If you told me way back when And Justice For All came out that Metallica would have a video game, I would have laughed hard. Even if you told me that after they sold out and came out with their “black” album, I still wouldn’t have believed you. Metal bands consistently play in the middle east, and metal music rules the video game scene. Heavy metal is everywhere. Check out the soundtrack to most action movies now and they are filled with metal. Horror movies too.

What’s next? Maybe instead of Rock The Vote next election should be Mosh The Vote. Maybe President Obama will start sporting Atreyu T’s and will shoot devil horns at the next State of the Union. Maybe Hatebreed will right a new national anthem. Okay, maybe not. Maybe I am making a mountain out of a molehill. But metal has come a long way, and we are far closer to being a metal nation than I had ever dared dream.
Share This Post

2009-Great Year For Heavy Music? Lamb Of God, Clutch, Mastodon, Hatebreed, Etc

I was thinking the other day about the fact that some years are great
for heavy music while others aren’t so great. Take 2008 for example.
There were probably 5 new albums that came out that I liked in
2008, with three of them being live Clutch albums ( 1 live album
and 2 bootlegs).

2007 was one of those years where I ended up having more than 10
good albums to choose from for my annual top 10 albums of the year.
Those who didn’t make the cut garnered honorable mention status
because they still deserved a mention. Call me a loser for geeking out
over stuff like this, but I still enjoy picking my top 10 every year and
sending it to my friends. They may not enjoy it as much as I do, but
that’s not the point.

2009 is shaping up to be a lot like 2007 was, a great year for heavy
music. In my opinion a handful of good albums have been released
already with several more due out over the remaining five months of
2009. Let’s take a look, shall we?

Stoner & doom legend Scott “Wino” Weinrich released his first-ever
soloalbum earlier this year. If you’re a fan of his earlier work
in bands such as The Obsessed, Saint Vitus, Spirit Caravan,
The Hidden Hand, and many others, then you will have no problem
enjoying this album as much as I did. Wino is the type of guy who’s
consistenly good and who doesn’t rest on his laurels; he’s constantly
writing new music. There isn’t a ton of variety between his various
bands, but sometimes it’s better to do what works for you than to
stray from the familiar.

Mastodon put out one of the year’s best albums so far in “Crack
the Skye”. After putting out the bizarre, trippy mindfuck that was
“Blood Mountain”, the Atlanta quartet decided to come back to
earth and put out a better, more focused effort this time around.
“Oblivion” is a great start to the album and it’s followed by the song
of the year (so far), “Divinations”. This hauntingly beautiful song
feels epic as it gets its’ hooks into your brain and won’t let go until
its’ ready. I’m glad they got back to what made them great and
put out a very strong new album.

Lamb of God released “Wrath” earlier this year. Personally, I was not
impressed with this album but it does have it’s moments. With LOG it
seems like every other album is good. “As the Palaces Burn” was
fantastic, then they followed that up with “Ashes of the Wake”, which
wasn’t so fantastic. They followed “Ashes” with “Sacrament”, which was
very good, and they’ve followed “Sacrament” with another clunker.
Just my opinion. I like LOG, but their inconsistency baffles me
sometimes. Hopefully their next album will be better than “Wrath”.

Hatebreed put out a very good covers album earlier this year. I really
enjoyed this album and have had it in constant rotation ever since I got
it. My favorite covers include “Ghosts of War”, “Escape”, “Hatebreeders”,
“Thirsty and Miserable” and “All I Had I Gave”. Whether you like metal,
hardcore or punk, you’ll surely find something enjoyable on this covers
album. The Best Buy version contains a few live tracks, making it even
more desirable for those of us who love Hatebreed. Rumor has it that
Hatebreed had enough covers done to do 2 albums so hopefully they’ll
put together another covers album in the very near future.

Darkest Hour continue their dominant reign with another great
album, “The Eternal Return”. They’re consistent, which is a plus, but
they also try something new each time out. While I still favor the
unrelenting thrash of earlier albums such as “So Sedated, So Secure”
and “The Hidden Hands of a Sadist Nation”, I really do like this
album quite a bit, as well as 2007’s “Deliver Us”. While I feel like the
older albums have a bit more personality, I can’t knock DH for
going back to their roots and creating an album that tries to
bludgeon you with every listen.

Killswitch Engage is a band that I used to really love. Now,
not so much. I’m not a big fan of how their sound has progressed
ever since Jesse David Leach left them. I have nothing against
Howard Jones. I think he’s an excellent vocalist, but I think Jesse
was a better fit for them and I feel like they wrote better songs when
he was in the band. While I haven’t spun their new album all that
much, I haven’t heard much that warrants me giving it many more
spins. Sorry, I’m just not feeling it guys. I don’t feel like there are any
songs that fit the ear candy category for me and the album as a whole
seems too bland in my opinion.

I can easily admit that I’m a big homer when it comes to Clutch. In my
opinion they can pretty much do no wrong musically. Their latest,
“Strange Cousins From the West”, is a bit stripped down from previous
albums like “Robot Hive: Exodus” and “From Beale Street to Oblivion”,
but it is very good nonetheless. It sneaks up on you with it’s grooves
and Neil Fallon’s infectious vocal hooks. I wouldn’t say that it’s in the
same class as their self-titled debut or “Beale Street”, but I do think it’s
a very good album and one that’s closer to the top than the bottom.

As far as the rest of the year, there are plenty of forthcoming release
that are getting me more excited than Dennys Reyes at an
all-you-can-eat buffet. It begins with thrash legends Slayer and
“World PaintedBlood”. Over the past year or so I’ve quickly become
obsessed with this band. I loved their past 2 albums, “God Hates Us
All” and “Christ Illusion”, along with all of the older material, so I’m
sure that this one will be getting much love from me when it drops in
early November. If you haven’t listened to the title track or
“Psychopathy Red” online you really need to do so. From the sounds
of those 2 tracks, the new album is going to be excellent.

Wino isn’t done for the year as he’s joining Neurosis’ Scott Kelly among
others for a supergroup called Shrinebuilder. I have no idea what this
is going to sound like but I am intrigued. Either way, I have a feeling
that it’s going to be good. I’m thinking it’s going to be doomy and slow
but I guess I’ll just have to wait until this fall when the album drops.

Hardcore heavyweights Hatebreed will be putting out a self-titled
album of new material in late September. If ever there was a band
who fit the definition of the word consistent, Hatebreed would be
it. They always come out with something great. Hopefully Jamey
Jasta has enough anger left to put together another classic album
with this alter ego of his.

Massachusetts thrash kings Shadows Fall have a new album
coming out in September as well. That is something you won’t want
to miss. I’ve heard a few new songs already and I’m very excited for
this one. If it’s anywhere near as good as “Threads of Life” was then
you surely won’t be disappointed. This is my darkhorse contender
for album of the year. Shadows Fall consistenly bring it so there’s no
reason to expect anything less this time around.

And last but certainly not least, Ohio’s Skeletonwitch will also be
releasing a new album this year called “Breathing the Fire”. If you
missed out on “Beyond the Permafrost” then I suggest that you go
and get that record right now. If you love thrash then you’ll love this
record. I bought it on a whim and I’m so glad that I did. It easily one
of the best records I’ve ever heard. I hope their new one is just as loud,
fast and sick as “Permafrost” is. If the cover artwork is any indication
of what the album’s going to be like, it’s going to be a great year for new
music.

This year has already been a good one for heavy music. Let’s hope that
the forthcoming albums push it into great status. I have a feeling that’s
not going to be a problem. All of this is my opinion of course and I
know I’m leaving out a ton of bands but I merely wanted to talk about
bands that I’m into. Feel free to comment or talk about any new albums
that I may have missed.

Share This Post

UPDATE: Listen To 3 New Megadeth – “Endgame” Songs & Clips Of The Whole Thing

Personally, these newbies sound like classic Megadeth! Although, I still think the “Head Crusher” name is silly! What do you think? Comments?

End Game

Head Crusher

Bodies

Clips

Share This Post

OPINION/POLL: Has Hatebreed Lost “It”?

Hatebreed recently posted a new song on Myspace called “In Ashes They Shall Reap”.  Let me preface what I am going to say by saying- I am a long time Jamey Jasta fan. I knew of Jasta 15 from way back, been thanked on the inside cover of “Perseverance” and helped Jamey promote his record label Stillborn Records. However, after listening to this new song I felt like the vibe seemed contrived.

I remember thinking the same thing about Eddie Vedder back in the 90’s. When Pearl Jam first came out, Eddie Vedder bled for all to see on the stage! His pain from the past was the fuel for his performance. The same can be said for Jamey! He came from a rough upbringing and persevered.

After three albums Eddie Vedder become obsessed with Neil Young and lost his passion- “Satisfaction Is The Death Of Desire” if you will! This new Hatebreed song is good, but the same passion that Jamey once had is gone. The voice of perseverance in a dark world is lost. It almost seems like he is trying a bit too hard to “keep it real”.

It is also possible this is a “radio release” that the record label is pushing for. A song you can put on movie soundtracks. But at first blush- this is not the Hatebreed (lyrically- musically it is classic Breed) that I remember.

I leave you with this and vote if I am crazy on this perspective:

In a cold unforgiving world, alone with fear and weakness, oppressed and dying slowly. Countless people have been betrayed by life. No one is exempt. No one is safe. So many lives will be taken. So many lives been ruined. So many live hang is balance. So many lives have been lost. Betrayed by life. As survivors we are left to try there tears. We are left to mend their wounds. We are left to pick up the pieces of those who have been betrayed by life.

Share This Post

Skeletonwitch Album Art Is Killer!

This has got to be the early favorite for album cover of the year! What are some of your favorites of 09?

Share This Post