Horders - Fimbulvetr

 

Horders is the solo dark ambient music project from the eminent  artist Give Up. In the past, Horders has released a split record with Rot In Hell and Fimbulvetr is the latest release to come from the project. This releases have been put out on two different formats. Vinyl, but UK label Feast of Tentacles and on Tape, from Canadian label Prairie Fire Tapes. It features 14 challenging compositions.

Tracklisting:-

1. World Without End
2. South Of The River
3. Feral
4. Gateway
5. Destiny
6. Gallery of Plague
7. Icarian
8. Iantana
9. Santa Susana
10. War Lust
11. In Theater, In State
12. Psychic Apocalypse
13. Kings
14. Rotten Hell

Fimbulvetr opens up with the slow, sludgy droning guitar of World Without End.

It's a slow precursor to what's is to be unleashed and already it sounds crushing. The slightly muddiness of the guitars making the noise element stand out even more.

South Of The River carries that noise element on, but this time through the use of electronics. A droning semi-white noise sound permeates from the speakers during the first sixty seconds or so, before slowly dying away. There's subtle guitar rearing its head at this point, which gives the song a strangely medieval slant. It's a very relaxing passage of music after the initial deafening opening. There are also other instrumental elements at play here that help to build more subtle layers of intrigue, especially the keys.

Feral sounds like a hellish Western inspired soundscape. There seems to be the sound of persistent rain in background, created by the use of electronics, which gives it a very claustrophobic sense. To call this music just dark ambient is an injustice, as it morphs into some much more as it winds its way along. Gateway sees the re-emergence of the electric guitar, albeit briefly. There are also some whispered vocals, which conspire to set you on edge. The use of layered guitar and feedback here also makes the song sound very menacing. Destiny features solo piano, played over the top of strange noise and whispered, female spoken word. It sets a haunting but slow scene!

The slow building soundscapes of Gallery of Plague herald in guitar feedback and very slow, winding riffs. It has a sludge/doom feel to it, thanks the drums that can be heard deep within the mix. The more metal/hardcore edged influence really rears it head in the song, especially thanks to that long, ringing lead solo. Icarian is a strange acoustic driven song, with distant chatter in the background. It's a short, lonely piece.

The song carries straight on into Iantana. They seem to play out a story and provoke subtle imagery throughout the composition. It builds in it's second half, with guitar feedback boosting the volume as the song builds, alongside the acoustic guitar, which by this point is less sporadic.

Santa Susana sees Horders favouring the noise elements again. More white noise is followed by a sample from a crowd cheering, which provides a bit of surprisingly upbeat respite, before dying down and revealing a more guitar driven sound. It again paints a strange picture as it twists through three and a half minutes. War Lust seems to present more melody than previous songs, however this is not melody that most would expect, as it's only comes in the form of the opening riff, which is repeated in the first few bars before making way for more low-end noise. There's more drone being used in this song, but that sense of more traditional metal influence is still present.

This is pretty challenging music, especially for someone like me who tends to lean away from ambient music to a certain extent. I do however, see the art in it and can see why it is held so closely to the metal music in general. Especially after listening to In Theater, In State you get glimpses of black metal. Psychic Apocalypse is just that. It's a psychological thriller of a song. The haunting, bewildering soundscape is enough to make you think you're insane. The loud/quiet textures accentuate each other and make the effect even more harrowing. As you drift into the final two compositions Kings and Rotten Hell, you’re in a totally different world, forced upon you by the music. It could be the soundtrack to a desperately stark horror movie, but the sense of cold reality coming out the speakers is too real. You have to experience Fimbulvetr in full to appreciate it. It's hard for me to put my finger on what makes it so captivating. It's just the mysterious, almost mythical sense of solitude that you get from letting it take its grip of you.

Give Up, the creator of Horders has a blog at http://ingivingup.blogspot.co.uk/, featuring artwork and Horders related information.

Below, are two of the songs from Fimbulvetr, that feature on special cassette and are streaming on Horders bandcamp page:-


As mentioned above, you can purchase the LP version of this release from Feast Of Tentacles at http://www.feastoftentacles.com and the tape version can be bought from Prairie Fire Tapes at www.prairiefiretapes.com.