Apoch's Metal Review - Terrorizer: Hordes of Zombies CD Review

Discography	Discography covers all information available up to day of review and is updated if future albums are reviewed.
Full-Length(s):	World Downfall (1989) • Darker Days Ahead (2006) • Hordes of Zombie (2012)
Split(s):	Terrorizer / Nausea (1988)
Demo(s):	Demo '87 (1987) • Nightmares (1987)

Review

Terrorizer is a band that is well-known amid the Death Metal and Grindcore field, largely for their 1989 debut full-length World Downfall and the long, rich history it has between the band members and their then record label. Until 2006, that was the group's only release until they reformed in 2005. Now, roughly another six years later, Terrorizer return with their third full-length album, Hordes of Zombies. Given the mixed opinions on Darker Days Ahead, one can't help but wonder what the band has in store for us this time around.

While Darker Days Ahead really didn't receive a lot of positive press when it dropped in 2006, and continues to this day to receive plenty of negative remarks, it didn't seem to hold the band back. Terrorizer come back to those who put them down with a rather uncompromising mixture of Death Metal and Grindcore with this release, both with the audio quality, and the music itself. The guitars here sound pretty heavy themselves, but far from dull and blunt, having a bit of a sharper edge to them thanks to the distortion and the nice volume level that masks the bass guitar a bit, but not enough that it's presence cannot be felt or heard. The drumming here is well executed too, not drowning anything out with each part of the kit around the same level as well. The cymbals are loud enough to really add a richer sound to the music, but also blend in with things and not really take a commanding role in the final product. The same goes for the snares, which feel a little empty compared to the loud clicking of the bass kicks, but also have a bit of a more natural sound to them that works for the level they are left at. Unfortunately, while everything is mixed together well musically, the vocals do end up coming off a little more on the traditional side. The guttural performance often can feel like it has no real range despite being executed well with what slight emphasis or pitch change actually come through. And, given that the music doesn't feel like the most original material by today's standards, this is a bit of a buzz kill to what is simply a well done release.

Musically, Hordes of Zombies does often feel pretty much like traditional Death Metal and Grindcore, like the band is following the book of the style they helped to create to-the-letter. Thankfully this isn't a bad thing since the band does a really good job at making these tracks interesting and often bring in a great deal of enthusiasm to the mix. With the zombies theme, the band welcomes the listener with a rather raw introduction of ambient noises that gives way to a distant roar, jumping into the title track "Hordes of Zombies" well with a Grindcore intensity and two-step faster pace while the guitars throw some really grim and dark atmospheric Death Metal chords at the listener. It may not be anything too new, but you cannot deny the tone of the music is what really makes the song as impressive as it is, especially given the less-than-astounding guttural presence. This is also one of the longer tracks to be found on the release, which makes this a promising effort right from the start since this is clearly not going to be a Grindcore group going out of their comfort zone to try to make longer tracks that inevitably won't hold the listener's interest.

And that also holds true for the shorter songs. Terrorizer does a great job at hammering out shorter cuts as they do with the longer ones, and they pack just as much intensity and energy. "Subterfuge" is the shortest offering here, coming in at two minutes and three seconds, and not one second goes by that you feel the band is selling themselves short. These can also bring in a better vocal performance. This one seems to find the lyrics cut down a bit in comparison, but there's also room for slightly more emphasis in them, which does show through a lot better than on the title track. Even "Evolving Era" finds good use for the vocals, though there isn't much extra push in them, and even can sound a bit tired by the half way mark when the creepy atmosphere from the music kind of finds the performance at the forefront of the track, allowing the imperfections to come through instead of being better masked.

But, overall, Hordes of Zombies is still an enjoyable album outside the vocal flaws. The only other instance that will leave you scratching your head is some of the subtle effects that seem to be included on the track "Broken Mirrors." One could argue it's feedback or distortion, but it's a higher note that comes in and out like a brief keyboard noise, and only hits during the solo. It's interesting and does add a new layer to the music that does benefit, but it just sounds very awkward overall. Other than that, this album feels like it just flies by. Hordes of Zombies is not necessarily a short album, but in no time at all you'll find yourself at the end, and that's for a very good reason. Songs like those already mentioned, even including "Broken Mirrors," all stand out well with solid Grindcore and Death Metal material. "Flesh to Dust" and "Prospect of Oblivion" both stand out nicely on this album with a much more intimidating brutality, clearly geared more towards a Death Metal input then a Grindcore one. The latter of those two do end up finding some rather bland drumming at times that don't offer anything too technical or unique for the style, but when Terrorizer do it right and get the two styles meshed together superbly, which is about every other track here, it makes you really take notice of the band once more, or for the first time if you haven't heard their previous recordings.

It's also nice to hear the band applying that earlier atmosphere from the "Intro" to other tracks and not just leaving it at a one-shot and done mentality. You can find a similar ambient start to "Forward to Annihilation," which reaffirms the environment of the music once more, though it never does really go away. Instead, it seems to become a little dull in comparison to the atmosphere-rich tracks that are scattered about the release. "A Dying Breed" also does this, but much of the end of the track involves Horror sound effects of a zombie eating layered over more Ambience, a suiting end to the album, though the track itself is not the most impressive offering on the release.

If you are a fan of the Death Metal and Grindcore style, there's no reason for you not to check out Hordes of Zombies. While this release may not necessarily offer anything too new, or be anywhere near as raw and brutal as their debut, it's still a much stronger Terrorizer effort then their last album. It may have taken about six years to get this one, and with some flaws showing through, the energy found on this release and often perfect combination of the two genres that make up the band's sound really stand as a testament to the band's roots and what they helped to create in the long run.

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	Digital review copy of this release provided by: Season of Mist Records.

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