Gnaw Their Tongues — Collected Atrocities 2005-2008
Trying to describe Gnaw Their Tongues to the uninitiated is not an easy thing. For all the harsh bombastic noise and black metal that we are assaulted with (as on “The Uncomfortable Silence in Between Beatings”) there are moments of stark minimalism and ambient hums, only to be awakened again by the sound of someone being whipped. There is a plethora of samples interspersed in almost every song, some are buried deep others become an integral piece of the song, found on “Horse Drawn Hearse” where (what sounds like being buried alive) is intermixed with an evangelical rant. The slow steady funeral doom of “For All Slaves…A Song of False Hope II” lumbers along with distorted bass line and echoing drums, enhanced with diabolical screams so raw and helpless. “Aderlating also is a very unsettling mix of electronic hum, the sounds of dogs barking and the apprehensive sound of human breathing. “Circles of the Abyss” is a 15 minute symphony of dissonant, crushing sound taking us on a grand descent into hell. “Glorification of Rats” with its beginning oration “abandon hope all ye that enter here…” beckons us with a hypnotic black metal rhythm, and it needs to be stated that the actual music here on Collected Atrocities is achingly precise and well played. It all adds to the consistent theme of everlasting bleakness and continuous pain on the compilation.
Fifteen songs are compiled here, they all are relentless. If Mories wish was to assault the listener with a non-stop waves of the most agonizing sounds (samples, effects, voices and instruments) then he has clearly succeeded. There is not one moment of quiet or calm. In fact as a listener it is a barrage of anxiously awaiting for the next onslaught of noise, violence and fear. While that can be exhilarating it is also an absolutely exhausting musical experience. In the end it takes away from the power of Gnaw Their Tongues, after one listen it’s hard to imagine wanting to willingly go through it again. As far as artwork (it’s the same cover as the original EP For All Slaves…A Song of False Hope) goes it stays within the framework of Gnaw Their Tongues theme, bondage, pain and starkness. Some may be offended others titillated.
After listening to Collected Atrocities the word that best describes this compilation is desensitizing, Mories has assembled a catalog of songs that are excruciatingly unnerving. On one hand Gnaw Their Tongues appeals to supporters of raw yet experimental black metal, but those same supporters might be turned off by the chaotic noise, as fans of electronic and harsh noise could be bored by the black metal sensibilities. One would doubt Mories has a concern for either as this (and all Gnaw Their Tongues output) gives the impression of being a fiercely individual project.