I simply knew that this album wouldn't dissapoint me from the start. I don't know why, but I simply had a feeling. Mybe it was the awesome album art or maybe after seing so many black/thrash bands pop out of the woodwork and this album receiving such good notification, I knew I would like this. And I was certainly not dissapointed. Horrid are a four piece black/thrash band which have a huge amount of death metal influence thrown in the mixture. In fact as many say, I wouldn't be very surprised if this was released in the early nineties. The simplest way to discribe their sound would be basically a thrashy old school death metal band with a raw black metal edge. This little sub-genre alone was enough for the album to draw me in and then eventually, write a review.
Since this album has traits of three genres ıf metal, it wouldn't be a shock if fans of all the genres would equally love this album. There's a raw black metal feel, especially in the vocals and general atmosphere of the album while an old school death metal vibe is also highly prevelant, supported by monstrous thrash savagery. This album is both grotesque and brutal in all ways possible, changing it's musical direction time to time on the album, but still keeping true to a certain method. Horrid like calling themselves blackened death/thrash which is probably the best way to describe their music as long as we don't concentrate on some minor complexities. Just like Graveyard, this album has a totally sinister atmosphere that sorrounds it tightly. But unlike the bluesy solos on Graveyard, Horridnever leave that darkened atmosphere and keep you locked up in that dark cell for the whole album. The riffage is mainly based on tremolos, with some Swedish Dm worship. There are some cool mid-paced or doomy sections in the album aswel, but they don't bore the hell out of you and simply fit the rest of the album well. There are cool glimpses of technicalty also prevelant on the album, that which is something you don't hear to often on OSDM albums.
The bass lines are very audiable too and increase the heaviness of the music while adding a small dose of sloppiness. Even the vocals stand out more than I have have heard in most new bands. Just like their sub-genre title suggests, the vocals are your primitive death metal vocals with a usually low tone and a black metal edge. It is quite obvious that even if you listen to just one song from this album, you'll know what to expect from the rest. Possessed, Sarcofago, early Entombed, Sepultura- this album worships them all. Despite being so evil and sinister, noone can disagree that this album has it's moments of crushing and bulky riffage. While taking different directions throughout the album, the riffs may all of a sudden change into a savage burst half tremolo and half chord laden riffs, which is just brilliant. But even the album takes such a thrashy approach, it always seems to carry a disease of doomy, sinister and sloppy riffage. And this disease will only cease at the end of the album as you will see.
The drums are also very crushing and powerful and can be heard very clearly at all times. They always stay true to the old school formula. Blast beats in fast sections aided by pummeling double bass drums and so precise and pulverising beats can be hardly heard in new albums. The drums in total are are spot-on and are yet another great highlight of the album. The vocals may tend to take aggressive directions at times, to fit the fast paced sections of the music. And he can do doomy growls just as good, thus enchancing the experience for listeners. The songs may usually be pretty long but the change in dynamics and speed always keep you interested and suck you into the music. The solos are also very chaotic, abit like the classic Slayer solos if I must say but played in a more melodic sense and with more feeling rather than straightforward shredding leads. The solos sound totally depressed and inharmonious but still ejecting a fine doze of some blood-chilling melody and whammy bar atrocities.
All in all Horrid have truely surprised me with their monster of and album and putting the standards high for black death/thrash. It is a menacing combination of punk-ish thrash, technicalty, Swedish monstrosity, doominess and and raw edge of black metal. While pockets of bands have played this sound, only a handful have perfected it, and Horrid is definetely one of them. Not only is this a sub-genre defining album but also one to be put in the lists of 2011. If you like Sarcofago, Possessed, OSSDM and savage thrash metal, then you will love the grooves on this.
Highlights:
Invokers Of Satan
Horrid
Entombed In Ansence
Rating: 92%
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