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A little confused but can become a crushing effort.-
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| Horde of Hel: Likdagg |
Black Metal
Regain Records
May 31st, 2011
- Herrens Tid - 5;52
- Smartans Vapen - 4:58
- Works of the Holy - 2:47
- Forintelsens Flod - 3:51
- Riv Livets Tron - 4:57
- Med Vapen i Hand - 5:21
- Likdagg - 4:51
- Celebration - 5:27
- Doden Regal - 4:36
- Livents Tid Forbi - 4:41
- Domd Frolos - 6:50
- Haren - 5:24
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| Review Information |
Release length: 59:35
Review posted on May 25th, 2011
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| | Overall Score: 6/10 |
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| Discography |
Discography covers all information available up to day of review and is updated if future albums are reviewed. |
| Full-Length(s): |
Blodskam (2009) • Likdagg (2011)
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| Review |
Horde of Hel is a Swedish Black Metal band that formed all the way back in 2000. Surprisingly, there is no other recorded material listed around the net other then their full-length recording Blodskam in 2009. Either the group was a well concealed project, hiding in the shadows and only appearing to do some live shows like some of the more "mysterious" underground Black Metal acts, or they seriously just never put anything out. Of course the third option is that they exist, but they never made enough of an impact to be mentioned anywhere. Either way, the options look grim, but Blodskam received some decent press, and two years later the group brings us their follow-up, Likdagg, being released through Regain Records. Considering the label's long list of impressive Black Metal acts, one has to assume that Likdagg may show a great deal of improvement from the band.
Right off the bat, Likdagg seems to vary a lot of the underground sounds going on at the time of it's composition. The music feels rather melancholic and depressive, catering to that underground atmospheric vibe that has become a staple in the style for a while, but at the same time manages to create some really punishing fast-paced modern Black Metal with a rather raw quality to it that makes the music sound a little haunting thanks to the slightly hollow and echoing sound. Of course, some of the depressive aspects of the music here are actually a little more subtle, being used only during key moments where it fits the music and generally adds to the existing melancholic sound. Of course, that depressing musical performance is not really utilized in each song, nor is it exactly necessary to be there. For as many faster paced tracks there are on Horde of Hel, it doesn't mean that's all the band can play, as the grouop also manages to perform some slower, soul crushing tracks that give off the sensation of hopelessness and loss instead, backed strongly by the rhaspy screams or commanding wails that give a very stern and sinister vibe to the many performances of this recording.
But, in the long run, a lot of that really just feels varied. Not all the songs have that atmospheric push, or really strong intensity going for it. The band does manage create some really creepy music throughout the album though, and use some more dark or gothic sound effects to go along with the sound of the album. "Herrens Tid" is a furious song that shows off speed, brutality, and depressive elements key to the band. It starts with, and ends with the sound effect of what sounds like a church bell ringing loudly. Of course there's also "Works of the Holy" which is a soul crushing instrument passage that is bled into from the previous track, "Smartans Vapen", which in itself is a slower paced track that is sinister and heavy enough to have already taken plenty of shots at your soul with it's burdening atmosphere. It's songs like these that really make Likdagg stand out.
The title track, "Likdagg", really shines on here as a strong atmospheric performance that's both creepy, and at the same time becomes more of an epic Black Metal track that feels like something Dimmu Borgir would have utilized on their album In Sorte Diaboli. The twisted and distorted symphonic backdrop to the song gives it a cold and sinister vibe against the random bells that chime through most of it, a theme with some of the material here, making for a very sinister sounding ambient instrumental that keeps the listener in suspense the entire near five minutes it plays out. But, just like that, the whole game changes, and Likdagg takes on an approach similar to Dimmu Borgir with epic music and heavy vocal distortion that brings the vocal level to an obnoxious volume level, and makes it sound more Industrialized in a manner best suiting to The Kovenant. Of course, this only lasts for the one song, and the music seems to go back to normal, allowing songs like "Doden Regal" to create heavy, crushing passages once more, as well as giving tracks like "Livents Tid Forbi" another chance to weave depressive, creepy Black Metal.
But that's the main issue, the band doesn't seem to know what musical direction they want to in with this recording. And that's not the only complaint to be had with this recording. Not all the tracks really sound that brutal, depressive, or crushing. For instance, the track "Forintelsns Flod" is heavy, but it just feels like your typical somewhat raw Black Metal recording. The song is alright, but the music and isn't too impressive in the long run. The ending of the track also just seems to cut out, not letting the guitars to ring out to a proper finish. The vocals also seem to get lost in the mix of s couple of the songs, whereas others seem to have a much louder performance that overtakes the music. "Riv Livets Tron" finds this happening through the entire song, and you really need to sit down and strain to hear them for some reason, leaving them to just sound like mumbling growls at times, though they clearly are the same kind of distorted wails and screams that appeared earlier on with "Herrens Tid" and even "Forintelsens Flod" amongst other tracks. But the vocal levels become a neusance in themselves as they never stay the same level from start to finish, they either are buried in the mix, or completely dwarf the music to the point where they are more obnoxious and overly distorted then commanding. The song's music, however, is definitely a lot more brutal to some of the songs that appear on the recording, but the melancholic atmosphere seems to be completely lost on this song. Had such an atmosphere existed, the lower vocals would have worked with it, but nothing really exists outside of some crushing music that isn't all that jaw dropping in the first place.
Horde of Hel definitely know what general sound they want for their recording, the problem is what kind of music they want to do. The group can definitely weave some crushing material, and other times the creepier melancholic tracks stand out. But, of all, there's only a few songs that really top the creepy instrumentals that appear through the recording, showing a stronger ability to create really Ambient material then anything else. Many of the songs on here are still good and entertain the listener from start to finish, but between the varying vocal levels, not knowing what kind of music they really want to sit down with, and a good amount of songs that are just alright and don't really have many awe inspiring moments, or even the slightest atmosphere that they should have, it becomes a release that is enough to give you a migraine with everything that is going on. Likdagg is still worth checking out, as it does feature some really good tracks, but it's not an effort worth racing out and buying the second it becomes available.
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Digital review copy of this release provided by:
Regain Records
via Earsplit PR.
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