Album Review: Pale Horseman – For Dust Thou Art (Self Released)

There’s something about the harsh urban landscapes of Chicago that makes it a breeding ground for sludgy doom metal. Indian, Bongripper, The Atlas Moth, Ledge… and that’s just for starters. Another, lesser known name but equally deserving of the spotlight are Pale Horseman, who have been prolific yet consistent in high quality since 2012. Their fifth album, For Dust Thou Art, continues the band’s tradition of mixing high-grade misanthropy with apocalyptic visions, and a taste for thundering riffs and rhythms.

For Dust Thou Art is out on July 31st 2020.

Picture a troubled sky. The clouds are dark and grey, there’s a chilly wind picking up and you can smell the incoming downpour. The heavens are about to open and deluge the streets with thick and soaking globules of rain. Everyone will have been caught outside at least once in their life when this happens.

That rumble you hear though? That’s not thunder. That’s the sound of Pale Horseman’s slushy doom echoing in the abyss. The richness of the heavyweights crashing and crunching is enough to make you stop, turn your face upwards and welcome the incoming storm.

With six hefty efforts, Pale Horseman deliver a jaw-dropping level of intensity in near 40-minutes of music. As powerful as a tornado ripping through houses, as filthy as the scum left behind when the waters recede and as devastating as witnessing what is left afterwards. Pale Horseman are capable of being both the cause and saviour. Their fresh stance on sludge and doom is effective and consistently interesting.

Pale Horseman – For Dust Thou Art Full Track Listing:

1. Tundra
2. Scourge
3. Archangel
4. Disenchanter
5. Vagrants
6. Cydonia

Pale Horseman Links

Bandcamp | Facebook