dead horse Horsecore- An Unrelated Story That's Time Consuimg
Relapse
1999 (re-release)
1. Murder Song
2. Born Believing
3. Crashing of the Irate
4. Hank
5. Bewah
6. World War Whatever
7. Forgive
8. Army Surplus
9. Piece of Veal
10. Mindless Zombies
11. Adult Book Store
12. Flowers for the Dead
13. Too Close to Home
14. Scottish Hell
15. Subhumanity
16. Someone
17. Army Surplus
[*][Demo Version]
18. World War Whatever
[*][Demo Version]
19. Bewah
[*][Demo Version]
20. Born Believing
[*][Demo Version]
21. Scottish Hell
[*][Demo Version]
22. Subhumanity
[*][Demo Version]
What's the best way to describe the sound of dead horse? It sounds sort of like a thrash band with a real sense for melody that, in between death metal-influenced blasting mayhem, turn toward various bridges and interludes for compositional intensity. Think about a cross between the sheer intensity of grindcore, mixed with death metal, with stylings of the Beatles. Also, don't let any of that take away from their sense of humor. And, never forget these guys came from Houston, and have become one of the most popular underground bands to arise from the Space City. With both of their full length albums, released by Relapse Records, I thought it would be a good idea to take a stab at a review. Anybody who has been in the scene for a while, know of their first release, "horsecore". It was originally released under the band's own merit, and went over with the scene extremely well. This was actually one of the very first cassettes I owned. I was at the mall one day and after hearing about them from a friend, discovered it in the store there, and immediately begged my mom to pick it up for me. I was changed after that first listen. This is what I had been missing. And I owe my broadening of horizons to the guys in DEAD HORSE. They opened me up to a whole new world that people had been pleading for me to get into my head for a long time. Welcome into my world the loveliness of death metal. It would only get better from here on.
On the opening track, "Murder Song", it begins with a groovy intro that transforms into a blasting treat. You knew what you were in for when the first lyrics on the album being, "Look into the mirror. See the Antichrist". There are also songs like "Hank", with its faux country intro that transforms into a grinding monster, and flows back and forth between genres flawlessly. "World War Whatever" is another groovy, yet heavy as all hell piece that also features the classic line, "Theyve come to microwave my brain". "Scottish Hell" is probably one of their best known songs, and is even covered by ENTOMBED. How is that for respect? This is one of those albums where all the songs are worthwhile, and set the stage for a complete experience. The songs were not overly complex, but sounded like they were. They threw so many types of music into one song, ranging from grind, death metal, country, jazz, doom, and just proved that DEAD HORSE was a band that is extremely unique, and are sorely missed. Lyrically speaking, DEAD HORSE threw a lot of humor into their music, and never took themselves too seriously. Who else could write a song about a microwave french fry?
A definite classic and the release includes some rare demo tracks. What more could you want? I'll tell you what, new pictures, and brand new packaging. Want more? How about totally remastered? These guys would get progressively better with their songwriting on the next album, Peaceful Death and Pretty Flowers, and subsequently release a few demos after that, and then fade away. But not to me. Mike Haaga, vocalist and guitarist, would go on to form THE DEMONSEEDS, and was one of the founding members of SUPERJOINT RITUAL. Amen, brother, the church of DEAD HORSE has risen from the ashes. If you are looking for a great listen, with plenty of humor, and amazing songs, look no further. This album is a definitive addition to the annals of metal history, and all deserve to hear it.
Rating:8.5/10
Evil C
Relapse
1999 (re-release)
1. Murder Song
2. Born Believing
3. Crashing of the Irate
4. Hank
5. Bewah
6. World War Whatever
7. Forgive
8. Army Surplus
9. Piece of Veal
10. Mindless Zombies
11. Adult Book Store
12. Flowers for the Dead
13. Too Close to Home
14. Scottish Hell
15. Subhumanity
16. Someone
17. Army Surplus
[*][Demo Version]
18. World War Whatever
[*][Demo Version]
19. Bewah
[*][Demo Version]
20. Born Believing
[*][Demo Version]
21. Scottish Hell
[*][Demo Version]
22. Subhumanity
[*][Demo Version]
What's the best way to describe the sound of dead horse? It sounds sort of like a thrash band with a real sense for melody that, in between death metal-influenced blasting mayhem, turn toward various bridges and interludes for compositional intensity. Think about a cross between the sheer intensity of grindcore, mixed with death metal, with stylings of the Beatles. Also, don't let any of that take away from their sense of humor. And, never forget these guys came from Houston, and have become one of the most popular underground bands to arise from the Space City. With both of their full length albums, released by Relapse Records, I thought it would be a good idea to take a stab at a review. Anybody who has been in the scene for a while, know of their first release, "horsecore". It was originally released under the band's own merit, and went over with the scene extremely well. This was actually one of the very first cassettes I owned. I was at the mall one day and after hearing about them from a friend, discovered it in the store there, and immediately begged my mom to pick it up for me. I was changed after that first listen. This is what I had been missing. And I owe my broadening of horizons to the guys in DEAD HORSE. They opened me up to a whole new world that people had been pleading for me to get into my head for a long time. Welcome into my world the loveliness of death metal. It would only get better from here on.
On the opening track, "Murder Song", it begins with a groovy intro that transforms into a blasting treat. You knew what you were in for when the first lyrics on the album being, "Look into the mirror. See the Antichrist". There are also songs like "Hank", with its faux country intro that transforms into a grinding monster, and flows back and forth between genres flawlessly. "World War Whatever" is another groovy, yet heavy as all hell piece that also features the classic line, "Theyve come to microwave my brain". "Scottish Hell" is probably one of their best known songs, and is even covered by ENTOMBED. How is that for respect? This is one of those albums where all the songs are worthwhile, and set the stage for a complete experience. The songs were not overly complex, but sounded like they were. They threw so many types of music into one song, ranging from grind, death metal, country, jazz, doom, and just proved that DEAD HORSE was a band that is extremely unique, and are sorely missed. Lyrically speaking, DEAD HORSE threw a lot of humor into their music, and never took themselves too seriously. Who else could write a song about a microwave french fry?
A definite classic and the release includes some rare demo tracks. What more could you want? I'll tell you what, new pictures, and brand new packaging. Want more? How about totally remastered? These guys would get progressively better with their songwriting on the next album, Peaceful Death and Pretty Flowers, and subsequently release a few demos after that, and then fade away. But not to me. Mike Haaga, vocalist and guitarist, would go on to form THE DEMONSEEDS, and was one of the founding members of SUPERJOINT RITUAL. Amen, brother, the church of DEAD HORSE has risen from the ashes. If you are looking for a great listen, with plenty of humor, and amazing songs, look no further. This album is a definitive addition to the annals of metal history, and all deserve to hear it.
Rating:8.5/10
Evil C
