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Hordak > The Last European Wolves > Reviews
Hordak - The Last European Wolves

"For A New Pagan Age To Come" - 95%

Basilisk, February 3rd, 2008

Spain is not exactly a known as being a hotbed of metal activity. That being said, bands such as Runic and Hordak won’t disappoint someone who is looking for original quality tunes, Spanish or otherwise. Hordak is a fairly new band of increasing acclaim. Perhaps the fact that the album art is done by Kris Verwimp explicates what you can expect of this album.

I always appreciate it when bands turn to their own roots for influence. With The Last European Wolves, Hordak crafts something that embodies their approach to the metal genre. Their self-described ‘Celtiberian pagan metal’ is characterized by fast guitars, both acoustic and distorted, typical solid ‘black metal’ vocals, the occasional flute or bagpipe, and a Spanish flare.

Comparable in sound to Menhir, but without strings or clean vocals, Hordak does well in making pagan black metal come to life. Come to think of it, some clean vocals wouldn’t go amiss, but The Last of European Wolves is a strong album in its own. The lyrics are mostly in English, but the music carries many Spanish nuances.

The album opens with a tasteful intro hinting of things to come and then immediately blasts off into two of my favourtie songs; Silvano Señor De Los Bosques, and The Last European Wolves. Partway through the album, Hordak get softer with El Lago Enol, a folkish instrumental. The album ends with Hugin And Munin, a song that was contributed to the international superband Folkearth, it appears on the album Drakkars in the Mist. Consider it as a bonus track. While this song has more Nordic influences, it certainly doesn’t feel out of place on The Last European Wolves and it was actually one of the better songs on Drakkars in the Mist.

Safe to say, The Last European Wolves is an album at home in my collection. Consequently, my expectations are high for Hordak’s next release.