On July 31st, 2020, sludgy doom metal act PALE HORSEMAN will launch their fifth full-length, "From Dust Thou Art" that continues the band's tradition of majesty, misanthropy and thundering riffs, but today we're thrilled to present the opening track, 'Tundra'.

I'm not all too certain what "sludgy" doom metal is to this day, or what the word sludgy has to connote in the world of metal. I suppose I understand its purposed role of trying to illuminate metal that has a slow, almost oozing quality in a thick wraparound tapestry of sound, but it's always been a turn-off for me for whatever reason. I guess I always pictured a band playing out by a Florida swamp for people straight out of a casting call for Deliverance, but I digress. When I focus on the word "doom," my OCD allows for things much easier. Methinks I shouldn't be so damn complicated...

Now, I've seen Chicago's PALE HORSEMAN live a few times, and I own most, if not all of their releases because they're a damn solid doom metal band with perfectly thick edges and currents, which is all for the better. In short, I really dig these guys, and the latest addition to their impressive arsenal, "From Dust Thou Art", is wonderfully impressive and keeping in line with their lineage of Chicago metal goodness. I've seen the obvious comparisons to fellow artists Indian, Bongripper and Atlas Moth, and while the three are solid in their respective field of the art, PALE HORSEMAN always seems to have some stranglehold on the necessary feel for this music that is both organic and well-orchestrated.

Gone are the days of the so-called traditional doom of Black Sabbath, St. Vitus, Pentagram, Warning and the ilk, embellished upon by the likes of PALE HORSEMAN, who offer us a sincerely decimating sound in this album as well as their other four full-lengths and split release. By the time I was on the second track, 'Scourge,' I had moments of reflective summation and pride that such a band existed among our storied milieu. Doom / sludge metal has become, in my humble opinion, somewhat lazy and uninspired of late in that bands will throw down-tuned songs together and lay some pseudo-psychoanalytical jargon all over it to make the waters appear deep. What PALE HORSEMAN does here is what the slow, prodding music is supposed to do – both solicit and impart responses both cerebral and emotional, and in the course of six tracks, the band manages that to a very fine degree, both musically and lyrically. Dare I say, it's music not designed for the casual fan but more for the select few in touch with the insides it seeks to penetrate?

Full review of the PALE HORSEMAN's new album, "For Dust Thou Art" can be found here.

PALE HORSEMAN is:

Rich Cygan - Bass
Jason Schryver - Drums
Eric Ondo - Guitars, Vocals
Andre Almaraz - Guitars, Vocals

MORE INFO AND PRE-ORDERS:

https://www.facebook.com/palehorsemanband
https://palehorseman.bandcamp.com/

Since their 2005 formation, BANISHER has delivered a captivating style of brutal death metal loaded with technical precision and an experimental/sci-fi flair. With "Degrees Of Isolation" they deliver eight new songs totaling forty minutes of pulverization and it is the most advanced, diverse and mature (both musically and technically) album they have ever recorded. The lyrics are based on true events, which makes the music on "Degrees Of Isolation" all the more dark and depressive. Album comes out on February 29th, 2020 on Selfmadegod Records but before that happens, MetalBite is thrilled to premiere an official full album stream combined with a nice chat with Hubert Więcek who introduced us to the new album and ideas behind it.

I understand that all new musicians are buddies you've met on stage over the years. How did you organize this 'draft' to Banisher?

Being active on stage and playing concerts for over 15 years, you naturally meet the majority of musicians who also play in other bands. In addition, I monitor various musicians on YouTube or other social media portals and go to all concerts in the area whenever I am free from playing or I am somewhere around, so I have quite good insights. So, when the time comes when I need to find someone to join a band, I know more or less (in the back of my head) who would be suitable for a given position and just ask if he would be interested in playing. I had the pleasure of playing with many fantastic musicians in all the bands in which I participate, which makes me very happy, because in addition to playing with good musicians, you up your skills as an instrumentalist yourself, and on top of that you play with people you know and like.

Since the founding of Banisher, it has always been a guitar driven technical death metal, but vocals are a different story. At the beginning, growls and roars from the borderline of grind, and now more extensive and varied, resembling the middle of Decap's discography. Was this a deliberate or rather natural change?

It seems rather natural to me. Each of the Banisher vocalists had a different type of voice, tone and style, and these differences were audible. On the other hand, both the band and the musicians who have played or still play in Banisher develop over time musically and gain experience, hence the natural order of things is that the vocals with each subsequent album are simply getting better.

How did it happen that, although the cover was taken up by a new graphic designer, the colors of both last albums are kept in a similar atmosphere?

It's hard to say. Łukasz got guidelines for the cover, he got insight into the lyrics and music and just got a free hand in creating illustrations for Degrees of Isolation. It turned out phenomenal. It seems to me that it's nice that both covers are similar in climate, although this was not the intended effect. On the other hand, the theme of the songs on both albums is rather dark, depressing and schizophrenic, which perfectly reflects the picture on both Oniric and Degrees.

Playing with Decapitated is certainly a multidimensional development, but on the other hand, isn't this a certain limitation for Banisher's live activities? Are there any chances to see you live this year?

Unfortunately, each of us, not just me, is quite busy in other bands or projects. Gathering the four of us together in one place borders on a miracle. We live in four different cities in two different countries, which also doesn't help. Still, this year we want to finally get together for more than a few individual pieces and play more. The more so that this year we will hit 15-year anniversary. Therefore, we are slowly starting to plan something for the second / third quarter of 2020.

In addition to Banisher and Decapitated, you support the concert line-up of Acid Drinkers, and you also participate in Redemptor. At one time you were also a teacher at Cracow's Guitarmanic. Are these all your musical ventures?

Only Banisher is my project from beginning to end. Guitarmanic is a guitar school founded by Daniel Kesler, the same applies to Redemptor. I started to support Acid Drinkers at concerts at the end of 2019. Of course, Decap is Vogg's band. From other musical adventures I had the opportunity to play as a concert musician in several bands, I also had several successful and less successful projects along the way. In addition, I give private guitar and bass lessons as well as I am a session / studio musician.

Full interview can be found here.

BANISHER is:

Szczepan Inglot - vocals
Hubert Więcek - guitars
Eugene Ryabchenko - drums
Piotr Kołakowski - bass

MORE INFO AND PRE-ORDERS:

https://www.facebook.com/banisherofficial
https://banisher.bandcamp.com/
https://selfmadegod.com/
https://www.facebook.com/Selfmadegod/
https://selfmadegod.bandcamp.com/