HORDE OF HEL

Sweden's HORDE OF HEL are the purveyors of chill and "Blodskam" is the thing that goes bump in the night. Black metal is the engine, but electronic atmospherics that cast a horrifying pall over the happiest of family gatherings is the fuel.

Many of the accolades allocated by fans and critics of industrialized black/death amalgams turn to Australia's THE AMENTA as a quintessential frame of reference, particularly recent effort "Non". While I applauded what is a generally a creative effort by the Aussies I found the songwriting as a whole to be lacking a measure of distinction. This is where "Blodskam" makes a deeper impact (though the "death" part is not applicable here). In general, songs get more of the focus. Mid-tempo groovy cadences abound and melody is not an afterthought (not a central focus either). The method of weaving keyboards/electronic effects into the compositions is what brings out the goose bumps, and in more than a few instances shades of DIMMU BORGIR are heard, if only shades. Taking a song like "Visdomen Kallas Doden" (one of several sung in Swedish),the mix of elements makes for a splendidly toxic potion. The slow, churning cadence and obsidian organ notes are the keys to the song's success. "Legacy of Vengeance" follows suit in its steady crawl into the abyss; the evil delivered by mules crossing the border is 100 percent pure and chances of recovery are slim. The pace is then quickened on "Domen Mot Manniskan", giving it more meat and slam. The use of orchestral passages and choral vocals (e.g. "Blott Tvivel & Skam") is particularly effecting in the creation of uneasiness and foreboding that is felt in the bones. In other words, the horde has concocted a formula for night sweats.

Occasionally, the electronics warrant some trimming and/or compacting, but the formula works far more often than not. "Blodskam" is no grand declaration of intent to turn industrial-leaning black metal on its head, but is a safe bet to send the paranoid running for the light switches.