UMUR
"And Hell Will Follow Me" is the debut full-length studio album by US, New York based alternative rock/metal act A Pale Horse Named Death. The album was released through SPV in June 2010. A Pale Horse Named Death was founded by former Type O Negative and Life of Agony drummer Sal Abruscato, who plays guitars and drums on the album. But maybe more worth a mention he performs lead vocals on the album too. Abruscato soon teamed up with Matt Brown (Seventh Void) who plays guitars and bass on the album. There are guest appearences on the album by artists like Keith Caputo (Life of Agony) and Bobby Hambel (White Devil, Biohazard), but "And Hell Will Follow Me" was predominantly recorded by the core two-piece of Sal Abruscato and Matt Brown.
The music on the album is melancholic, heavy, and dark alternative rock/metal. To my ears it´s strongly influenced by Alice in Chains, both when it comes to the vocals and the vocal melodies and but also when it comes to the heavy riffs and the generally dark atmosphere of the music. The delivery is relatively strong although Sal Abruscato´s vocals are occasionally a bit shaky (especially on "Cracks in the Walls"). Other times he sounds great though. The lyrical content is despressive and bleak, which song titles like "As Black As My Heart", "To Die In Your Arms" and "Die Alone" bear witness too. There are a couple of drug related lyrics on the album too in "Heroine Train" and "Pill Head". I have a slight issue with the sometimes badly written and quite frankly cringe worthy lyrics, which is a bit of a shame considering the generally brilliant lyrics written by Abruscato´s two previous acts. It´s pretty obvious he wasn´t the lyricist in those acts.
The material are generally well written though and most tracks are quite catchy and memorable. The vers/chorus structures, which they seldom break out of, are a bit generic to my ears but it´s not a major issue. The sound production is professional and powerful and "And Hell Will Follow Me" is upon conclusion a decent enough debut album. It lacks the last spark to hit the major leagues but fans of melancholic, heavy, and dark alternative rock/metal should find lots to enjoy here. A 3 star (60%) rating is warranted.