LP Review: "The Great Dying" by Yeti on Horseback

The Great D ying

So many bands in this world play at about a thousand miles an hour.

In our current era of music, the term speed metal is no longer valid, because most of it is played at breakneck speeds.

Lyrics almost can never be understood either due to sheer speed or demon growls.

Speed of playing is kind of like adding effects to the music. It makes it sound different and better. Take a look at some of Metallica's earlier work and there's quite a lot of very simple riffing, but played faster than anyone ever had before.

That stuff still holds up today, but how often can you hear a band that plays slower than the old lady in a hat driving in the left hand lane when you're late for work who keeps it interesting?

Yeti on Horseback

These are the kinds of bands that I'm beginning to find more and more interesting.

Sure, fast, flashy playing is cool, but sometimes, like the Beastie Boys said...slow and low is the tempo.

Enter Yeti on Horseback, presumably riding a horse during their grand entrance.

This band has written six songs that clock in longer than any Led Zeppelin studio release, save Physical Graffiti.

The tracks don't feature about 49 different riffs per song or minutes of guitar soloing.

It's also not droning, exactly.

There's some doomed out droning going on, but it's always buttressed by frequent melodies...and there are a couple of times when the guitar solos go on for a bit, but it's not the norm making it a more powerful statement.

They're also the only band I've seen credit Satan as a member of the band, but only for inspiration. I suppose that makes the Dark Lord their Bosstone?

It's not flashy, but it's emotionally painful, gritty, and melodic. There's an interesting use of Technical Death Metal sounds, but not the music.

Check them out when the album is released.

Release: 9/30/16
Genre: Doom Metal
Label: Medusa Crush Recordings
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