Gnaw Their Tongues - Devotion EP

Dutch one-man industrial black metal act Gnaw Their Tongues have released an impressive 16 albums, EPs, compilations and singles in just two years. I first heard them on the bleak and impressively evil-sounding "Dawn Breaks Open Like A Wound That Bleeds Afresh" EP released last year, and I'm glad to report that they haven't changed much.

"Devotion" is a four-track EP with a total playing time of almost 27 minutes, with none of the tracks shorter than five and a half minutes. This is a good thing, since the ritualistic industrial harshness needs some time to build up to be as effective as possible. If I were to say anything bad about "Devotion", and about Gnaw Their Tongues in general, it would be that all of the songs on both "Devotion" and "Dawn..." follow pretty much the same song structure. They start off slowly, with dark, haunting samples and noises that after a couple of minutes (usually) give way to a barrage of drums and harsher sounds, before phasing out the drums and going back to a less harsh sound for the final part of the track.

This, however, does not make the listening experience any less rewarding. Gnaw Their Tongues is a band like none other. I guess if Abruptum actually had talent they would have sounded something like this, and I do hear a slight resemblance to MZ.412 at times, but Gnaw Their Tongues doesn't copy anyone. Their droning, ritualistic black industrial art is an altogether unique experience, and one I enjoy immensly. I am a big fan of this kind of music, and I don't hesitate giving this release a solid 9/10, and I hope that Mories continues to release albums this bleak for a very long time.

Band link: http://www.myspace.com/gnawtheirtongues