Creating somber music was something Type O Negative made a career out of throughout the 1990s, and Sal Abruscato knows this well. Being part of the band’s first two iconic releases – Slow Deep & Hard and Bloody Kisses, as well as Life of Agony’s first two classic releases – River Runs Red and Ugly…he knows a thing or two about bringing out the darker side of life in his music.
Lay My Soul To Waste is his second full length release under the A Pale Horse Named Death moniker and once again his somber moods are felt throughout the record. The overall sound is darker than the debut, blending midtempo, Alice In Chains-esque tunes like ‘Killer By Night’ with moody numbers like ‘Shallow Grave’ which unintentionally pays tribute to Type O Negative.
Abruscato once again bares his soul and his mid ranged vocal pitch comes across more like Layne Staley than Peter Steele. ‘Dead Of Winter’ is a good example of this, as this acoustic guitar driven tune captures the somberness of the words behind his vocal delivery. Like those two front men, his delivery creates a funeral esque vibe and sadness is felt within his voice at times.
Other tunes such as ‘Devil Came With A Smile’ drives the song with Sabbath-esque riffings and Abruscato’s angst fuelled vocal deliveries mixed in with his clean vocal styles to add another dimension to his sound.
‘DMSLT’ is surprising the most straight forward up tempo rock tune on the record, aside from ‘Killer By Night,’ including some cool guitar chugs throughout the tune. Abruscato always finds a way to diversify his darkness in multiple ways.
While A Pale Horse Named Death proudly sports its influences on its sleeves on Lay My Soul To Waste, Abruscato is slowly piecing together music and a sound that he could proudly call his own. While his songs draw comparisons to other well-known acts, he is on the right path towards creating something special. It took Type O Negative a couple of records until they created their iconic Bloody Kisses record, so in time A Pale Horse Named Death could possibly find themselves in similar circumstances in the near future.
7.5/10
Rei Nishimoto
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