_ _______ _ ...:... _ _______ _ ___ / .:::::::::::. \ ___ | / .. (:::::::::::::) .. \ | | . .:::::.`:::::::::::'.:::::. . | | .::.. `:::.::':::`::.:::' ..::. | _ _______ | .::' ::::':::::`:::: `::. | _______ _ \\ | | :: `' ::':`:: `' :: | | // \ | | `:. .::' . `::. .:' | | / . | | .::::::..::::' ... `::::..::::::. | | . | | `:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::' | | .... | | `:' `::::: :: :: :::::' `:' | | .... | ' | : `. ': :: :: :: :: :` .' : | ` | |.....: . .......: :: :: :: :: : ...... . : ....| . ...................: : :: :: :: :: : : ................. . _____________:_____________ _____________:_____________ _ ___\` __ /_\` _______/_\` __ _/_\` /___ _ // __ / (/ ___/ (/ _ (/ /_______/\ _ _ /_________ ___________ ______/\ _ ______________/\__/_ _ \\\\\_________\__/\_________\__/\_____/\_____/\____________/f3!/// - -\-\-----------\__/----------\__/-------\_____/---------------/-/- - - -------------------: : :. ..:: :: . :------------------ - : : :......: :: :` ': :: : .....: : : ___ _ | | : ` ' : | | _ ___ _\---------- : | -------- : B E R C : -------- | : ----------/_ /_\ . : . ..:.. ..:.. . : . /_\ /// . . : : . . \\\ /: :\ /:: Artist :: Horna ::\ :: Album :: Kohti YhdeksΣn Nousua :: :: Year :: 2021 :: :: __ _ _ __ :: -:--\\-----------------------------------------------------------------//--:- :: \ / :: :: . Genre :: Black Metal Source :: CDDA . :: :: Label :: Black Metal Store R.date :: 08.10.2021 :: _::__ Cat.nr. :: BMS065 Size :: 62,8 MB __::_ ::// \\:: ::/---------------------------------------------------------------------\:: :: :: /: Encoder :: LAME 3.100 -V0 :\ ..: Bitrate :: avg. 264kbps : . . Quality :: 44,1kHz/Joint-Stereo . . . Website :: __ __ _ . : _ ____ _ _ ____ _ : . _ __ __ .\\\\------- : | ---\ /---------------------\ /--- | : -------////. +/ -\------- | | ----\ tracklist /---- | | -------/- \+ /: . : : . :\ /:: ::\ :: 01. ╓rkkivuorilta 04:05 :: :: 02. Imperial Devastation 05:40 :: :: 03. Sword of Darkness 04:49 :: :: 04. White Aura Buried in Ashes 05:02 :: :: 05. Sormus Ja SilmΣ 10:04 :: :: 06. Outro 03:07 :: :: ------- :: .. >> 32:47 min .. __ __ _ . : _ ____ _ _ ____ _ : . _ __ __ .\\\\------- : | ---\ /---------------------\ /--- | : -------////. +/ -\------- | | ----\ release notes /---- | | -------/- \+ /: . : : . :\ /:: ::\ :: :: :: Kohti YhdeksΣn Nousua is the first official full-length :: :: from the Finnish black metal horde known as Horna. Released :: :: in April 1998 by Solistitium Records, this L.P. :: :: demonstrates just how much Shatraug had developed as a :: :: songwriter. While Hiidentorni had its moments, though very :: :: few, it was rather unimpressive. Nonetheless, within a :: :: matter of months, the band managed to write and record :: :: something that far exceeded their previous output and still :: :: stands as one of their best albums. :: :: :: :: By this time, black metal was already massively polluted by :: :: an overabundance of horrible bands that were churning out :: :: pure trash. Countless mediocre albums were being released, :: :: making it difficult to keep up with what was going on. One :: :: need not even dwell on the legions of goth losers that were :: :: appropriating black metal elements and mixing them with :: :: wailing whores and Casio madness; even the majority of key :: :: second wave bands had metamorphosed into something hardly :: :: recognizable. Thankfully, there were a handful of musicians :: :: capable of keeping the black flame burning. :: :: :: :: At this stage, Horna absolutely wore their influences on :: :: their sleeve, which is not a bad thing. Obviously, the :: :: early black metal bands from Norway left quite an impact on :: :: Shatraug, something that is clearly evident. Rather than :: :: taking any cues from fellow Finns, such as Beherit, :: :: Archgoat or even Impaled Nazarene, Kohti YhdeksΣn Nousua :: :: bears a much closer resemblance to the earlier works of :: :: Emperor, Gorgoroth and Satyricon. It would take some time :: :: before Shatraug created the signature style that he was :: :: later known for. That being said, the lack of a distinctive :: :: identity is not a negative criticism, at all. Personally, :: :: I'd rather hear a hundred so-called derivative albums like :: :: this one over experimental garbage. :: :: :: :: Despite its relatively brief run time, Kohti YhdeksΣn :: :: Nousua covers a lot of ground. "╓rkkivuorilta" starts :: :: things out with intensity and hatred, erupting from the :: :: depths of hell with aggressive riffs and vicious vocals. :: :: The guitars are reminiscent of something from Emperor or :: :: Nemesis Divina, at times. "Imperial Devastation" is a bit :: :: more restrained, moving between mid-paced tremolo melodies :: :: and more Bathory-inspired riffs. In a way, it bears :: :: similarities to "Funeral Procession", from Under the Sign :: :: of Hell. "Sword of Darkness" is an all-around gloomier :: :: affair, featuring more haunting melodies and a different :: :: vocal approach, sounding more hideous and tormented. Though :: :: the production is more modern, almost too much so, these :: :: riffs would not have been out of place on an album like In :: :: the Nightside Eclipse. :: :: :: :: The overall sound may be the only negative aspect of this :: :: record, and even that is negligible. On its own, it sounds :: :: fine. It's mostly when listening to this material alongside :: :: the albums that inspired it that one really notices the :: :: difference. Kohti YhdeksΣn Nousua boasts a rather full and :: :: powerful sound, lacking the harshness of the early albums :: :: from the Norwegian black metal bands. Even relatively clear :: :: and well-produced records like Gorgoroth's Pentagram sounds :: :: like a garage rehearsal compared to this. Still, it's just :: :: at the threshold of what's acceptable, not yet venturing :: :: into the plastic, fake-sounding territory where Sudentaival :: :: would ultimately land. :: :: :: :: "White Aura Buried in Ashes" consists mainly of intense, :: :: fast-paced riffs and hellish vocals, reminiscent of "The :: :: Majesty of the Nightsky", with some with some Bathory-ish :: :: parts thrown in for good measure. This is followed by a :: :: total shift, featuring an eerie riff with clean vocals :: :: buried underneath, which induces a haunting vibe in the :: :: closing moments. "Sormus ja SilmΣ" is the last proper song, :: :: a slow and brooding track that hearkens back to "Sorg", :: :: from Gorgoroth's Antichrist. As with "Sword of Darkness", :: :: Nazgul's voice is much dryer and more strained than usual :: :: which adds to the darker atmosphere. For one reason or :: :: another, rather than building upon this composition and :: :: creating something more epic, the band opted to add to the :: :: running time with a re-recorded version of "Kun ly÷mme :: :: Jumalan kodin liekkeihin". This is the weakest part of the :: :: album and it's no wonder that they included it as a hidden :: :: song. :: :: :: :: Kohti YhdeksΣn Nousua had to grow on me a bit; years ago, :: :: the first things I noticed when listening were the presence :: :: of clean vocals (albeit brief), the lack of harsh :: :: production and the frequent use of double bass, something :: :: that I personally don't care for. Once I got over being so :: :: picky, I quickly realized that this is a very solid record :: :: and ranks among the very best among Shatraug's very :: :: prolific career. Despite the influences being very obvious, :: :: the songwriting is very cohesive and there are a lot of :: :: memorable moments to be found. This record is not dull in :: :: the slightest as Horna did well to pick up the torch that :: :: had been dropped by their predecessors. This record is :: :: highly recommended for those into classic Norwegian black :: :: metal. :: :: :: :: . _ _ . :: \: :. \\ ___________ . ___________ // .: :/ __\____ :: ____ ___\ _ / BERC : 2021 \ _ /___ ____ :: ____/__ \\\f3! :: \\\ __ _/_________i_________\ /___/ /// :: cRO/// \ :: :\-\___________\_ ___ / _ _/___________/-/: :: / :: | . . _ _ _/ __/ . \_ _ _ . . | :: : :::::::: | | \\\\\/ _______\____|\ \///// | | :::::::: : :: | | -\-\/____/-------------\____\/-/- | | :: :: | | \ :|: / | | :: : : | . ` ::: ' . | : : . . | : ::: : | . . | :::....:::....::: | : ::::::::::::::::: : . :::''``:::''``::: . : ::: : . ::: . .:. :