A PALE HORSE NAMED DEATH / Lay My Soul to Waste (2013)

I described APHND's début album as a cross between Alice In Chains and Type O Negative. Their second album continues the same but there's a smattering of Marilyn Manson atop the grungy funeral dirge, which makes me like it less. MM plays bad MM these days, we don’t need any more of that. I know it's lazy of me to rely on cheap comparisons, but they do a perfect job of describing the album.

Songs of Note: In The Sleeping Death; Dead Of Winter

3½ shallow graves out of 5

A PALE HORSE NAMED DEATH / And Hell Will Follow Me (2011)

Mix Alice in Chains' sludge with Type O Negative's atmosphere and you have A Pale Horse Named Death. It's the brainchild of former Type O Neg drummer Sal Abruscato, so it's only natural it would sound similar to the Drab Four. The AIC element was a surprise. It's pretty amazing. A drummer taking the guitar/vocal duties is rarely a good thing (people who know me will know what I mean when I say, "Hi, Dave!"). but APHND's post-grunge grunge is a success. I very much doubt it'll still be giving me the jollies a year from now, but today I've got it on repeat.

Songs of Note: As Black As My Heart; Cracks in the Walls

4 crows and horses and wolves and blood out of 5