CD REVIEW: Collected Atrocities 2005-2008 by Gnaw Their Tongues

THE sound of a nightmare, an earthquake and a hurricane combined pretty much sums up the work of Gnaw Their Tongues. Then add a torture chamber into the mix and you’re there.

Over the years, Gnaw Their Tongues have taken to the limit what black and doom metal can achieve with some jaw-dropping – and very very disturbing – results.

This is a collection of early and rare pieces previously released by the Dutch musician Mories – who is Gnaw Their Tongues – and stands alongside the handful of merciless and maniacal albums by the band very well.

This album is not for the faint-hearted. If you aren’t put off by the cover – which we cannot print – then you might be of a suitable mentality to ‘enjoy’ this.

On the band website, Gnaw Their Tongues calls the offerings devotional hymns and there could be an element of warning of the dire consequences of bad behaviour. There are no songs in the normal meaning of the word but screams and howls and religious rants combine with pounding instruments to create a doom-laden atmosphere to the 15 tracks across two CDs.

The tracks bear such chirpy titles as For All Slaves ...a Song of False Hope I, The Uncomfortable Silence In-between Beatings, My Womb Is Barren and I Want Revenge, Another Study in Bleakness and Despair and the enticing Spasming and Howling. The titles very clearly warn you what you are getting.

People have described Gnaw Their Tongues as being like the background music to a horror film but there is imagination and depth to the almost orchestral (in scale) pieces. A lot of work goes into these tracks to create the right atmosphere, rhythm and tone. In that sense it’s a very honest and meaningful collection. Yes, it’s on the frontier of what most would call music, but remember that the Devil has the best tunes.