Gnaw is a New York City

noise Noise is sound, chiefly unwanted, unintentional, or harmful sound considered unpleasant, loud, or disruptive to mental or hearing faculties. From a physics standpoint, there is no distinction between noise and desired sound, as both are vibrat ...

band founded in 2006 by

Alan Dubin Alan Dubin is an American vocalist/singer most widely known for his role in drone metal band Khanate. He is noted for his tortured and distinctive vocal approach. Other bands he has been featured in include OLD and current band Gnaw. Dubin i ...

(of OLD,

Khanate A khanate ( ) or khaganate refers to historic polity, polities ruled by a Khan (title), khan, khagan, khatun, or khanum. Khanates were typically nomadic Mongol and Turkic peoples, Turkic or Tatars, Tatar societies located on the Eurasian Steppe, ...

), Carter Thornton (of Enos Slaughter and others), Jun Mizumachi (a former live member of Ike Yard) and drummer Jamie Sykes (of

Burning Witch Burning Witch was an American doom/sludge metal band from Seattle, Washington, active between 1995 and 1998. Aside from EPs and split releases, the band released a compilation album called '' Crippled Lucifer'', which had songs of their early E ...

). Guitarist/sound designer Brian Beatrice and drummer Eric Neuser later joined the group. The current lineup consists of Dubin, Thornton, Brian Beatrice, Dana Schechter (Insect Ark,

Angels of Light Angels of Light was an American neofolk band that was formed circa 1998 by singer-songwriter and musician Michael Gira after he disbanded Swans, the group he had founded in 1982. The band has marked a distinctly different style for Gira sinc ...

Swans Swans are birds of the genus ''Cygnus'' within the family Anatidae. The swans' closest relatives include the geese and ducks. Swans are grouped with the closely related geese in the subfamily Anserinae where they form the tribe Cygnini. Sometim ...

), Robin Fowler (Pants Exploder, Drownyard), and Adam Morosky (Time Ghost). Founding member Mizumachi, while no longer touring, is still a contributing member.

Style

In addition to the traditional 4 piece rock format and string and wind instruments, Gnaw utilizes synthesis modulation, found sound and manipulated recordings. In issue 302, ''

The Wire ''The Wire'' is an American Crime fiction, crime Drama (film and television), drama television series created and primarily written by the American author and former police reporter David Simon for the cable network HBO. The series premiered o ...

'' magazine called Gnaw "a terrifying rock sextet whose blackened vision has enough dark energy to blot out the sun". The publication described Gnaw's debut album, ''This Face'', as "unsettling but vital listening".

History

Gnaw's debut album, ''This Face'', was named number 17 of the year in ''

Rock-A-Rolla ''Rock-A-Rolla'' was a music magazine covering experimental, avant-garde, noise and metal artists pushing the boundaries of music. Launched in late 2005, it was published bi-monthly in the UK by V-Squared Publishing Limited and distributed worl ...

'' magazine and ''

Fact A fact is a truth, true data, datum about one or more aspects of a circumstance. Standard reference works are often used to Fact-checking, check facts. Science, Scientific facts are verified by repeatable careful observation or measurement by ...

'' went on to post it as number 23 on its list of best "post-metal" albums ever made. In 2013, Gnaw signed with Seventh Rule Recordings who released their second album, ''Horrible Chamber'', on October 15. "Horrible Chamber" was reviewed positively by most publications including Pitchfork, Wire and Dusted, who said, "Gnaw’s combination of murderous riffs, sludgy bass, dark ambience and soulless electronica is mastered expertly on Horrible Chamber, resulting in a seven-song suite that pulls in all directions whilst staying wholly cohesive." WIRE said, "Horrible Chamber raises goosebumps, instils despair, and suggests fruitful future paths for metal in the process". After Mizumachi's return to Japan in 2016, Dana Schechter of Insect Ark began performing live with the band and, after contributing to recordings, joined the band full time in January, 2017. The band's third album, Cutting Pieces, was released to wide acclaim on October 27, 2017. With Schecter's increased commitment to Insect Ark and Swans, Morosky began filling in on live dates in September 2019 before joining as a full time contributing member. Gnaw's Barking Orders EP was released in January 2020 on Sleeping Giant Glossolali and they are currently composing a full length follow up to Cutting Pieces. Initial tracks were recorded in July 2019 at Menegroth The Thousand Caves Recording Studios with

Colin Marston Colin Marston (born September 13, 1982) is an American record producer and musician residing in New York City. He graduated from New York University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in music technology in 2004, and owns Menegroth The Thousand Cav ...

Members

(vocals, synthesizing, processing) * Brian Beatrice (guitar, bass, studio production, manipulation and processing) * Carter Thornton (guitar, bass, multi-instrumentalist, sound recordings and manipulation) * Adam Morosky (synthesis, sound effects, noise contraptions) * Jun Mizumachi (synthesis, recording and studio manipulation) * Robin Fowler (drums) * Past members: Jamie Sykes (drums), Eric Neuser (drums),

Dana Schechter Bee and Flower is a band founded in New York City in 1999 by singer-songwriter, bassist, animator, illustrator, composer and producer Dana Schechter. Schechter formed the band while also a member of Michael Gira's band Angels of Light. Bee and ...

(lap steel)

Discography

* ''This Face'' (Conspiracy Records, 2009) * ''Horrible Chamber'' ( Seventh Rule Recordings, 2013) * ''Cutting Pieces'' (Translation Loss, 2017) * ''Barking Orders'' (Sleeping Giant Glossolalia, 2020)

Style

History

Members

Discography

References

Further reading