Gospel Of The Horns
Eve Of The Conqueror
[Damnation]
Definitely one of the hotter outfits on the underground circuit, GotH is the brainchild of one Mr. Howitzer, metal maniac of the highest order and former sticksman for the incredible Destroyer 666, and as such churn out some of the finest blackened thrash metal this side of Pentacle. Having formed in 1995, they put out an amazing demo before breaking up and resurrecting themselves early last year, when they put out the demo “Sinners” and a fine 7”. This is supposedly their paramount offering (as far as Howitzer’s statements suggest), and their first on a major label, after staying formidably underground for far too long.
The Gospel of The Horns formula is relatively simple, a heady brew of Persecution Mania era Sodom, Slaughterlord, Razor and various other thrash luminaries, all fused together with a modern vibe and a strange sense of melody, which is the element that hinders my thorough appreciation of this disc. While my expectations have compacted and swelled due to my worshipping their earlier material, I find the new material more sterile, more subdued, and Beelzebub forbid, more mature.
Not quite as rabid as the 1995 material was, or even the Sinners demo, this disc opens with a furious opening track, “Desolation Descending”, a maelstrom of unholy, cataclysmic track. This got me particularly hot under my shorts, complete with a relentless barrage of furious rifferama and dandruff-loosening breaks. In all its resplendent, unbridled mayhem, Desolation Descending reminds one of Destroyer 666, Megiddo et al and whips up a headbanging frenzy with considerable ease. That’s until the melodic lead guitar pops up at the three minute mark. Call me a hardcore traditionalist, a stagnant, intolerant grump, but this pilfered almost entirely from my listening experience. The leads serve to distract and irritate with their melodic literacy. Like Necrodeath’s “Matter Of All Evil”, I can almost hear dissonant, masturbatory solos erupting from these songs, instead of the Maiden-esque melodicism that the lead guitar emits.
From Desolation Descending, things just grow more sedate and monotonous, and soon I find that my attention deviates from the music, my feet stop tapping, my head stops nodding and I end up skipping to track 6, Sinners, the eponymous track from their last demo. I’ve always held Gospel Of The Horns in extreme reverence, but I am really quite disappointed that this new mCD has failed to captivate me as much as my fervoured anticipation had lead me to expect. Perhaps my expectations were far too lofty, but their earlier material outshines this by quite a long shot.
Ultimately, this is far from a poor release, it just isn’t what I expect from one of the prime purveyors of Aussie metal and one of the foremost bands in the old-school underground. I’d still recommend that you purchase this record, but that you start off with the Satanist’s Dream (both demos on it, although Howitzer has particular distaste for this semi-bootleg release, hehe) or the 7”. Better luck next time, then.
Oh yes, I don’t suppose anyone has any Inverted Prophet material up for sale?
[ 7 ]
© 2000 equimanthorn
The Gospel of The Horns formula is relatively simple, a heady brew of Persecution Mania era Sodom, Slaughterlord, Razor and various other thrash luminaries, all fused together with a modern vibe and a strange sense of melody, which is the element that hinders my thorough appreciation of this disc. While my expectations have compacted and swelled due to my worshipping their earlier material, I find the new material more sterile, more subdued, and Beelzebub forbid, more mature.
Not quite as rabid as the 1995 material was, or even the Sinners demo, this disc opens with a furious opening track, “Desolation Descending”, a maelstrom of unholy, cataclysmic track. This got me particularly hot under my shorts, complete with a relentless barrage of furious rifferama and dandruff-loosening breaks. In all its resplendent, unbridled mayhem, Desolation Descending reminds one of Destroyer 666, Megiddo et al and whips up a headbanging frenzy with considerable ease. That’s until the melodic lead guitar pops up at the three minute mark. Call me a hardcore traditionalist, a stagnant, intolerant grump, but this pilfered almost entirely from my listening experience. The leads serve to distract and irritate with their melodic literacy. Like Necrodeath’s “Matter Of All Evil”, I can almost hear dissonant, masturbatory solos erupting from these songs, instead of the Maiden-esque melodicism that the lead guitar emits.
From Desolation Descending, things just grow more sedate and monotonous, and soon I find that my attention deviates from the music, my feet stop tapping, my head stops nodding and I end up skipping to track 6, Sinners, the eponymous track from their last demo. I’ve always held Gospel Of The Horns in extreme reverence, but I am really quite disappointed that this new mCD has failed to captivate me as much as my fervoured anticipation had lead me to expect. Perhaps my expectations were far too lofty, but their earlier material outshines this by quite a long shot.
Ultimately, this is far from a poor release, it just isn’t what I expect from one of the prime purveyors of Aussie metal and one of the foremost bands in the old-school underground. I’d still recommend that you purchase this record, but that you start off with the Satanist’s Dream (both demos on it, although Howitzer has particular distaste for this semi-bootleg release, hehe) or the 7”. Better luck next time, then.
Oh yes, I don’t suppose anyone has any Inverted Prophet material up for sale?
[ 7 ]
© 2000 equimanthorn