We should have been invaded by filthy Finns this weekend and had the delights of an already postponed show from Sargeist and Behexen. Alas it was never to be and the plague carriers have been scuppered by that thing that currently blights us all. The one good thing we have is the fact that even if live music is on hold, recorded output is thriving and festering well so we at least have the delights of a new Horna album, the Finns of course affiliated by blood with the aforementioned. Although far from quiet this is actually the 1st studio album from Horna since 2015 release Hengen tulet. The first thing you really need to know is that it is a whopper running at almost 70 minutes so it is not one for the weak or even the weekend warriors who listen to the more commercial facets of BM as they read about them in the latest hip rag.
Led in by a snaking riff, the serpent uncoils and strikes with venomous force. The guitars of Shatraug and Infection are tight and lethal as Spellgoth hollers his blasphemous diatribe in hellish voice as ever. The themes here are not particularly unveiled and naturally everything is dished out in mother tongue. The album title takes in the Spectrum Of Death and track titles translate with the likes of ‘Satan’s Wrath,’ ‘Cathedral Of Sufferings,’ ‘Black Years’ and ‘Blood Sacrifice’ giving you a vague insight to the pain and suffering within the narrative. Happy stuff, of course not. This is a lesson in orthodoxy at its best and it has been painstakingly constructed, on the whole it is fast and furious and despite the running time things never get stale in the slightest as it is in your face and packed with dramatic flair. The vocals are barked out on the whole, sometimes rising to commanding pitch and at times with a near ceremonial and ritual chanting. Drums are a hammer-smashing force and drive the turmoil, rolling and forging ever onward into the realms of dominion and the band are not only on fire but give the impression they are really enjoying flaming brightly as much of the world dies around them. This is all the more impressive as drummer LRH along with bassist VnoM are marking their first recorded appearance with Horna here. One can certainly delight in the performance on tracks like the raging fury and neck cracking malevolence of songs such as Uneton ‘Sleepless;’ a nightmare to some, pure devilish delight to us. Then there’s the solemnity of the chanting on ‘Sydänkuoro’ what seems to be translated to ‘heart chorus’ and feels like a true work of blissful devotion to the dark arts and desanctification of all that is righteous
The malicious groove of ‘Elävänä, Kuolleena’ is one of many stand-outs here, snappy and snarly with an instrumental break that is glorious and grandiose; the furrowing guitar sound on it is malignant and nothing short of death affirming. If anything as the album continues it goes from strength to strength, providing a giddy ride that is surprisingly upbeat in places. The excellent clean vocals and melodicism of ‘Haudattujen tähtien yönä’ being a case in point on a song that takes in a devotional aspect not only giving the devil his dues but proving once more that he has all the best tunes! Sure, it’s a lot to take in and I have lost track of how many times I have played this but it gets better each spin and delivers everything anybody could really want as far as proper black metal is concerned, Horna have never been slouches but this could be their masterwork. As the windmilling tremolo picks of ‘Mustat vuodet’ power away this may well be a black year in many respects but what glory it has delivered along the way. This is an absolutely essential way to put a nail in its coffin.
(9.5/10 Pete Woods)
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