By Kat Preston
Chicago four-piece Pale Horseman are fairly new to the scene, only having formed in 2012, but they’re already charging through their contemporaries with a second album of pure, crushing sludge metal, Mourn The Black Lotus. The cover being adorned with a suitably brutal amalgamation of grinning rhinoceros skulls gives you a darn good idea as to what kind of trip you’re in for with this one.
Gently gliding in on a patter of drums and softly echoing guitars, ‘Evidence Of A Severe Stoning’ may lead you to believe you’re setting out on a light, forgiving trail, but soon enough the riff makes itself apparent and it’s all uphill from there. With vocals somewhat recite of Matt Pike (Sleep) and leviathan riffs, you’re given a good couple of minutes shaking-by-the-shoulders before the next change of pace. Track 2 ‘Conquistador’ comes in with heavy stoner rock elements that morph midway into a dream-like Neurosis vibe then rolling back into a much darker realm. Influences from the likes of Carcass, Obituary, and Sepultura are evident throughout with a smattering of Godflesh-esque inklings here and there (which neatly ties in the Justin K. Broadrick remix of ‘Fork In The Road’ at the end of the album).
The rest of the record follows on a similarly hefty, oscillating route through the familiar stoner/doom landscapes. There seems to be a recurring theme of giving each track an 'opening minute' of sorts, before plummeting into the general consensus for the rest of the song. Definitely an interesting take, as it adds short, concise interludes to break up the sonic wall of noise and defines the many different heads to this hydra Pale Horseman have concocted.
Striding out with the monumental 16 minute-long ‘Clairvoyant’, Mourn The Black Lotus comes to an end only suitable for such a behemoth of a record. Conjuring images of barren plains and dark, smokey skies, you’re lulled into a true journey that leads to who knows where…
FFO: Mastodon, Entombed, Godflesh.
