Clawing their way forth from the rancid New York underground, Horns & Hooves brings us their vile debut release. Spewing forth hatred, bile, vile, and other unsavory bodily fluids, this blackened thrash attack assaults all senses (and other openings for that matter) with their had blast beats, mind numbing riffs, and blasphemic vocals make for some, as the bands puts it, cheek busting black metal. The band holds a lot of that old school heavy metal vibes all around, even sporting big sun glasses. And we all know big glasses cool band.
This debut is very old school, taking on that classic black-thrash metal of Celtic Frost with some punk rock sensibilities, there’s little room to rest during the tracks, but plenty of room to mosh in between the ambient tracks. Speaking of, there are two ambient parts that really set the mood and atmoshpere of the album. The first is the third track, after the epic song Baphomet in Steel, a blasphemous ballad and my favorite off the album. The following track, Amphetamines and Red Molochian Dreams, really gets you feeling all grimy and dirty thanks to the samples they take from different pornos, but there’s this occult and satanic bent to it that really gives it that next level feeling of satanic degeneracy. The rest of the album however is that old school black-thrash style as I mentioned before. Elements of Bathory, Celtic Frost, early Sodom, and early Slayer are all present here from the high pitched screams to devilish riffs and, at times, melodic groove. But they’re really able to set themselves apart from the thrash metal bands of ode thanks to the production style I feel, vibrant and clean, almost like a comic book but still feeling vintage.
I instantly fell for this album as soon as I threw it on. The band’s unique approach to black-thrash really sets them apart from the rather boring genre I feel. The vocals in particular are my favorite part. They’re wild and manic, not demonic and over the top, but truly sounding mad with satanic lust. There are some memorable moments as well, with high pitched wails and some absurd lyrics that are strangely catchy. The first song in particular, Gape My Blackened Hearts, has a weirdly catchy hook that just makes you feel gross singing along with it. In a good way of course. Besides the vocals though, the guitars really make the album shine. Creative riffs that are both gothic, heavy, and filled with punk angst get the blood flowing. There are some shining moments where the guitars layer over these added synths on the sixth track, creating for this epic build up unlike the rest of the album.
These guys aren’t just a one trick pony. They really stand out from the rather mediocre sea of black-thrash bands out there. I personally never found that style of black metal to be all too entertaining, save for a couple of different acts, but Horns & Hooves really set themselves apart from the rest with their unique and perverted imagery, great instrumentation and just a great all around heavy vibe that I found my self falling for the instant I turned this release on. Definitely give this a listen if you’re a fan of the genres I’ve mentioned above, or if you’re a sick satanic pervert who needs to get their rocks off some how. Either way give it a listen.