In the grand scheme of things, the drone genre is a bit of a difficult genre to tamper with. Songs written under this category, if done wrong, could sound half-baked, boring, and dragged-out. However, if done right, tracks can captivate listeners in its euphoria and atmosphere. One of this genre's most successful projects would be North Carolina's Horseback, with its 2011 two-disc compilation "The Gorgon Tongue: Impale Golden Horn + Forbidden Planet" being rock-solid proof of this. The first disc "Impale Golden Horn," originally released in 2007, is composed of four tracks of invigorating musical ambiance. The fusion of acoustics and effects are laced together so gracefully that it leads to music that builds up wondrously and generates a warm, inviting atmosphere. It's the type of dream-scape music that could be played while waking up on a beautiful, sunny morning. As for the second disc, "Forbidden Planet," initially a cassette released in 2010, the collaboration takes a bit of a darker turn, creating some nice contrast for both sides of the album to work off of. This disc trails as one large drone track that is strongly influenced by black metal, with buzzing guitars and frontman Jenks Miller's snarling vocals. Like the previous disc, the whole thing gradually builds up and shifts at just the right times throughout, resulting in an enticing listen. Both of these discs tie together for their borderline-opposing moods perfectly, and are individually musical spectacles. If you're searching for an incredibly strong compilation of experimental sound-scapes, "The Gorgon Tongue" is definitely not one to be ignored.
