Taking their name from a river in hell this Irish / Icelandic band was conceived at first as a one-man project by Joseph Deegan also of Verminous Serpent. By debut album ‘Deluge’ he was joined by highly regarded drummer Bjarni Einarsson who is part of the burgeoning Icelandic black metal scene and busy in the likes of Almyrkvi, Sinmara & Wormlust. Gaining a reputation themselves the latest line-up sees the band joined by German bassist Stefan Dietz from Nocte Obducta among others to unleash their third album.
Obviously The White Hart itself has significance in legend, representing mankind’s spiritual quest, something that may well be looked on at the moment as being incredibly self-centred and greedy, with those in control feeding off the less fortunate and weaker. Something has obviously got Deegan stirred up and he has in conjunction with this release been quoted as stating “”My blood boils with contempt for so much of this world that it can sometimes be difficult to focus on anything else.” Putting these emotions into his music it’s no surprise we are told to expect an album full of “passion, hatred and venom.”
Starting with a traditional sounding chant, that serves very much as a call to arms from the oppressed ‘The Temple Armoury’ is unlocked and rebellion armed over a blustering and rambunctious deluge of hard and furious drumming and scything guitars. Vocals are gruff but clearly understandable, anger unleashed at their forefront as the instrumental parts tumble and furrow away. Einarsson adds thunderous weight and there’s plenty of stormy ballast about things as the title-track pummels in and gallops off harangued by the indignant vocals every step of the way. Maximum force may well be the best way to crush your enemies and as the album develops it is this hostility that is pushed to the fore with very little space for anything like a truce or laying down of weapons. Sombre tones do eventually break through on ‘Trench Offering’ and perhaps there is a little time for gathering the dead but obviously they will neither rest easily or for long before carnage is engaged once more.
‘What The Gauntlet Bestows’ is full of hammer smashing spiked feudal fury by the half-way mark. The album really strikes as being the work of enragement and seems designed to leave the listener foaming at the mouth as it steamrollers over them. Portents of doom and gloom are found amidst the tumultuous heave buried within the quagmire adding a murky atmosphere and there are brief acoustic interludes of seditious chanting. ‘The Bloodied Tongue’ does tone down the aggression and marches and stomps at slower pace but the battle is not over simply gathering force in determination before the next part and by closer Hate’s Noose Tightens’ it leaves you feeling like you have been in the midst of a fight for the last ¾ of an hour The judgement of the closer suggest mass hangings but the anger and nihilism is never negated making for a bilious album with little room for redemption. Somewhat caught in a repetitive circle where history carries on repeating past mistakes I expect there will be plenty of ammunition carried forward for future chapters but for now we at least have a minor victory in an ongoing campaign.
(7.5/10 Pete Woods)
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