The beginnings of what would come to be a venomously forceful and vehemently nihilistic experimental noise/ambient/black metal project in Gnaw Their Tongues are peculiar. The base sound, while nowhere near as fleshed out as later releases would be, is established here, with everything including drones, riffs, drumming, and vocals operating with a violently primal sentiment. Still, some questionable choices are made here that are a detriment to what could have been a really great record. For instance, on opener "A Burned Offering", tension is built through the first two minutes until some of the cheesiest strings I've heard come in an diffuse all of it. The rest of the song is done marvelously, but it could have been so much better without those strings. The song acts as a microcosm of the album, because whether it's an instrument or one of the many needless samples, the album's tension and horror are diluted and the experience is lessened. The notion that it still manages to be a decent listen is a testament to the mostly excellent instrumental work and the always wonderful vocals that Maurice De Jong brings to the table.
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