Review: Dweller by Haunted Horses
Lies are a malevolent curse, they have no love. The war upon us has left us covered in blood. Colin Dawson, vocalist and electronic pusher/puller of Haunted Horses, sends the curse back to all of the liars.
Somehow, Haunted Horses, from Seattle (best rock ‘n’ roll city), is unsettling and soothing at the same time. When I close my eyes during Dweller, I get visuals of how this three-piece (Brian McClelland, bass; Myke Pelly, drums) might operate on stage; red strobes, lots of black, and everything. I hope their tour is coming our way.
The from-the-bottom-of-a-well album cover for Dweller is artistically correct. It sounds as if that is where the music took form—it’s pummeling, throbbing, noisy, and generally dark. Haunted Horses says that “the fear and anxiety tied to the obliteration of one’s self or identity, and the unknown outcome of this dissolution” is the basis for the album.
This is a similar emotional state around previous album The Worst Has Finally Happened, and it is nice knowing that Haunted Horses respects consistency. There are large tom rolls, clamorous bass, and a vocalist (Dawson) who might be caught in an ominous fantasy with lots of leather. If Marilyn Manson was cool, maybe he would have made music like this.
A lyric sheet (good luck finding one) is necessary for Dweller, as the bass and drums mostly bury the vocals, which can mostly be interpreted for a fractured moan. I wonder how Dawson’s insides are doing, but his elongation of “desire” on “Destroying Each Other” is his best moment while the band chants the title. Dawson also must be commended for the way he seamlessly makes his electronics squeal, moan and grind as if a guitar would. His push and pull is under control, there’s no mess.
Dweller has oblivion (“Fucking Hell”), slow lurch with rattling chains (“Temple of Bone”), top-notch propulsion (“Dweller in the Abyss”), and sounds as though a blade is being pulled from its sheath while the snare gets slapped so hard (“The Seed”). Haunted Horses is a full march over fractured Earth, a living siren.
Haunted Horses has shared stages with The Blood Brothers, Botch, Unsane, These Arms Are Snakes (Chris Common produced their last album), Portrayal of Guilt, Street Sects, and Daughters. They carry the ominous flame well. “See you in another life, yeah,” Dawson whispers at the end of Dweller. Yes, we will.