HORNA - Kuoleman kirjo
World Terror Committee
Well a bias alert for ya. HORNA is probably my favorite black metal act from Finland. Of course with that said I'm also a huge fan of their band member family (aka: BEHEXEN and SARGEIST). It was the label Moribund Records which turned me onto them years ago. After getting a few of their releases, full lengths and short form releases, I became a collector of their stuff. So now I have all of their full lengths and close to half of their short form releases (EPs and Splits). As far as the latter ones there's just too many.
So it's been a few years since HORNA has release a full length. Their last one, Hengen tulet, came out in 2015. But in the between they've put out a few short form releases (an EP and a Split in 2018) which were also fuckin incredible. So when I checked this latest one out my expectations were already high and without bias. So for starters Kuolema Kirjo (aka: The Spectrum of Death) is a double album just like 2009's Sanojesi aarelle. Now I thought that one was their greatest. So does this one show lightning striking twice?
If there's one thing I learned from their previous album and their susequent short form releases is that HORNA are slightly progressing away from their early necro blasphemy sound. Their newer direction is more epic sounding with a better emphasis on the technical side as far as riffs, drum work and basic advancing in song structures. Even the vocal styles show a roughness which is more Finnish then necro BM.
Now don't get fuckin worried because HORNA has not ventured into territory held presently by ENSLAVED as far as progression goes, thankfully. Basically the band is taking their patented style into a modern realm with dare I say atmosphere and thunderous sound quality. So even in that there's slightly over an hour's worth of music here there's never one spot of boredom. Oh yeah and you'll be shocked to hear some clean vocals on a cut or two.
The highlights on here, which I haven't mentioned prior, for starters are the old school tremolo picked riffs mixed with modern day blackend harmonies. Spellgoth's vocals which are a combination of harsh BM screams, angst ridden pain and a hint of Attila Csihar style. Hell there are times listening to this and I'm thinking MAYHEM. And yeah the pounding rhythms meets harmonic guitars which is totally modern sounding as well as awesome. Add to that the flow with each cut enters it's other.
Years ago some hiptard scribe told me that black metal needed to progress in order to be accepted. My answer was "accepted by who, you? Well fuck you indie rock metal hating hiptards?" Since then the genre's best have progressed but not by the standards laid out by a bunch of hiptard dictators. It was the artists who laid out the ground rules. I was right because what you have here is a perfect example.
https://www.facebook.com/W.T.C.Productions
LISTEN HERE:
https://wtcproductions.bandcamp.com/album/kuoleman-kirjo
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