NIFELHEIM
Envoy of Lucifer
(Regain)

MAGNET SCHOOL
Tonight!
(Arclight)

THE MORNINGSIDE
The Wind the Trees and the Shadows of the Past
(Bad Mood Man)

HORNA
Pimeyden Hehku/Sotahuuto
(Moribund Cult)

THRASHING LIKE A MANIAC
Thrash Metal Revival Compilation
(Earache)

VANCOUVER/ZATOKREV
Split EP 

(Get a Life!)

JARBOE-JUSTIN K 
BROADRICK
J2

(The End)

MORE REVIEWS

Here we have two releases by Finnish so-called true Black Metal band Horna. And I say that just because truly who cares? As far as this sparrow is concerned it all comes down to the music, the rest is just the mint after the last supper, if you know what I mean. Anyway, just to give a short background, Horna has been together since 1993, which is about 105 dog years, and has, including all releases (even demos and splits), about twenty six recordings. Pimeyden Hehku is a four song mini from 2007 and to me, this sounds like what many black metal bands aspire to sound like. And that’s raw, primitive, dirty and offensive; (even if I don’t understand a beep of what they say. Their lyrics are in Finnish) let’s say this is the sonic equivalent of Lemmy taking a shit in the Norwegian woods back in 1991. That’s zero symphonic cheese factor, no romance, null gothic over tones and don’t even think about mentioning Cradle of Filth. That shit is for retarded idiots.

Sotahuuto is a full-length also released in 2007 and keeps many of the same dirty rotten traits of Pimeyden Hehku, except the recording here is even more lo fi, making it all the truer and more charming indeed.  The first song “Lähtälaukaus” has this misanthropic old school heavy metal rhythm that’s only taken to more perfunctory levels by the ultra necrotic vocals of Corvus. “Vapise, Vapahtaja” is musically, old heavy metal. It’s the type of stuff that was made by bands like Infernal Majesty and the likes, except the vocals make the end result much more extreme and seriously serious sounding.

Horna claims that their essence is about ‘fear, hatred, anti-humanity, no feelings…’ and to me the tired and dragged out pace of most of these songs perfectly evokes that. Sotahuuto features several war scenes as its artwork and that perfectly reflects the band’s pillars and music. With this album (I am totally unfamiliar to all their releases before these two) Horna seems to be reaching for the roots, not only of dark heavy metal but of debasing humanity.  

Official Site

MySpace