Pimeyden hehku

What a pleasant surprise. When I purchased “Envaatnags Eflos Solf Esgantaavne” I had come to know of the new Horna as some boring, repetitious, and conventional black metal band. But as I listened to “Pimeyden Hehku” a sense of originality came to mind. It’s only an EP, but it sure beats the hell out of post-Sudentaival material. When I first heard the newer Horna with Corvus as vocalist, I wasn’t expecting much. Sure, they have the potential to be a great black metal band, but they focus more on releasing hundreds of splits and EPs than releasing good material. One thing I really look for in the newer bands I listen to is originality. That’s what they lacked when I listened to “Envaatnags Eflos Solf Esgantaavne” and most of their newer material. Maybe their new EP isn’t completely a stray from the now-norm Horna, but I think it’s a step in the right direction.

The song that really got me intrigued about this album was “Nostalgiaa”. I first heard it on their official Myspace. It’s got the usual raw feeling to it which is a constant theme in Horna releases. It fit very well in the extremity of the song, as with the others. My experiences with other Horna releases weren’t good. They seemed never-ending and the riffs didn’t flow well as the albums progressed. “Nostalgiaa” starts off the black metal assault of an album and much draws you in to look forward to the rest. It is significantly better than the rest of the album, but “Kirotun Käden Kosketus” and “Verisellä Ovella” have their fair share of great riffs. If Horna focus more on quality than quantity, and continue with the “Pimeyden Hehku” trend, they can put out a great full-length.

I won’t be surprised if I do see a new full-length before the end of the year, but if they put it out, I hope they decide to put some of these songs on it. Overall, if you’re familiar with the Finnish black metal scene, this might not be completely different than what you’re used to, but if you focus more on the riffs and comparing to most of the newer Horna material, you find something worthwhile in “Pimeyden Hehku”.