Terzij De Horde - In One Of These, I Am Your Enemy

Labels: Consouling Sounds/Tartarus Records

Formats: Vinyl/CD/Tape/Digital

Release Date: 08 Apr 2022

Tracklist:

1. Cheiron

2. In One Of These, I Am Your Enemy

3. Precipice

This review comes a bit out of the blue. Dutch extreme metal/post-hardcore band Terzij De Horde were one of the first bands I covered on this blog (back in 2011 I think), when it was called Stay Ahead. I remember that it was a time when I was really digging down into different scenes and countries, and for some reason at the time The Netherlands really stood out. I picked up their first LP A Rage Of Rapture Against The Dying Of The Light shortly after discovering them and then they kind of fell off my radar. When their latest album dropped into my inbox, I immediately took notice. 

I’m a tad embarrassed that Terzij De Horde has been off my radar for so long and that after eleven years, I’m writing about them again. I should have been more on the ball. Their newest album’s opener ‘Cheiron’ is a blistering college of post and black metal, with both the instruments and vocals in top gear. Compared to the other two songs on In One Of These, I Am Your Enemy it’s short but it contains more impact that way, especially thanks to it’s mix of melody and extremity.

The album’s title track ‘In One Of These, I Am Your Enemy’ is unsurprisingly cut from the same cloth as ‘Cheiron’ but it’s filled with more post-metal textures. Eminently catchy early on, it bursts into a rabid black metal song around two minutes in. There are some great off-kilter flourishes with a more straightforward metal approach poking through at times too. It still beats me how five people can craft such a soundstage. The recording, mixing and mastering gives the whole thing a glowing sheen, which accentuates the atmosphere that Terzij De Horde put into the song, especially when they go in a more screamo/post-hardcore direction at it’s mid-point. There are slight Scandi elements to their sound here but I can’t pinpoint any comparisons.

Album closer ‘Precipice’ is an absolute masterpiece of post-metal/screamo early on. It’s mid-tempo opening minutes give way to more blackened madness, yet Terzij De Horde control it very well indeed. It’s that control that sets them apart for me and begs the question; after all this time, why aren’t they on a roster like that of Pelagic Records or Relapse Records even? They certainly wouldn’t be out of place in my opinion. There are so many twists and turns here, from the full-on black metal, to the atmospheric noise passages and the massive instrumental metal that follows it through to the song’s second half and overall conclusion. It’s mere presence is overpowering (in a good way). 

I don’t know what more I can say about this record, apart from that I’m absolutely floored by it. I’m gonna stick my neck out though and say that I definitely appreciate the two longer songs ‘In One Of These, I Am Your Enemy’ and ‘Precipice’ best, purely for how engrossing they are. The whole record though is fantastic.

FFO: Ash Borer, Underdark, A Storm Of Light, Wolves In The Throne Room & Wiegedood

You can stream the record and purchase it digitally or on CD (while stocks last), directly from Terzij De Horde below:-

Terzij De Horde - https://www.facebook.com/terzijdehorde

You can also buy physical copies from the labels below:-

Consouling Sounds - https://store.consouling.be/

Tartarus Records - https://shop.tartarusrecords.com/

Consouling Sounds - https://www.facebook.com/ConsoulingSounds

Tartarus Records - https://www.facebook.com/TartarusRecords

Interview: Jurgen van den Brand (Roadburn Records)

I little while ago, I contacted Roadburn Records on the Netherlands, to ask them about the label, Roadburn and the releases that have seen the light of day due to the festival, and those that will see the light of day soon. Label owner and Roadburn Festival co-organiser Jurgen van den Brand was kind enough to take some time out of his day to answer my questions. Read on...

TNIO: Can you provide a brief history into the formation of Roadburn Records?

Jurgen: Roadburn Records started in 2008 as an outlet for me to release music I liked. I was organising Roadburn Festival with Walter and had all those contacts and all that music that came in. At the time it was mainly studio albums like White Darkness (Jason from Celestial Season/Bong-Ra) and The Angelic Process. I also set up the recording of all Roadburn sets around the same time, first only for streaming purposes. But then I heard the Wolves In The Throne Room recordings from 2008 and I thought: we have to do something with these as they add to the studio recordings. So I did and a lot of titles like Voivod, Ulver. Bong, Bongripper, Chelsea Wolfe and more followed. I started the label at home but my girlfriend told me to get all that shit out of the house when it got too big ;-). Now I share an office with Southern Lord Europe in Amsterdam which is working out pretty well.

How do you decide on the artist performances that are released? Is it driven by the band or artist themselves and how much input do you have as a label?

Normally all gigs are recorded so in theory all can be used. Of course with big bands like Opeth or Electric Wizard you know you are never gonna get permission but all the rest is indeed a combination of gigs I was blown away by or people whose judgement I trust really liked. I can’t see all the gigs at Roadburn but I try to at least see one in full every day. And yes sometimes bands mail me as well. Fu Manchu for instance asked if we had the 2003 set available and luckily we had so I could release it on vinyl and they will do it on their own label later on.

Of all of the “Live At Roadburn” releases you’ve worked on, which one would you say is your favourite and why?

That is a difficult question as as you know Roadburn music is pretty versatile. We started out as a pretty straight forward stoner/doom/psychedelic festival but it developed into a festival for all kinds of interesting and intense music. So some days I’m in the mood for the full brutal onslaught that is Nihill or Mizmor, other days I like to put on Yob or Elder. It depends, like with everybody I guess. 

What have been your favourite live performances at Roadburn?

Swans in 2011 was definitely a special one for me as both Michael Gira’s career and our development of the festival kind of came together. We started to do more experimental stuff and Swans got such a drive in their music it was a perfect combination. Certainly because Swans has been my favourite band since the 80s. Gira liked it as well as he came back again as a visitor later. 

Can you provide any teasers for future “Live At Roadburn” releases?

Well Hell is coming out this October, I just put a track from that performance on Bandcamp (roadburn.bandcamp.com). And also the Oranssi Pazuzu 2017 set on the main stage is about to go to the plant. That was a gig I really really liked. There’s also some stuff planned for the next 6 months that I am really happy about, more news on that later.

I can’t think of any other label that release records so closely linked to a festival like this. Roadburn as a festival is carving a big legacy amongst both the heavy music and artistic scenes. How proud are you to be part of that legacy?

Not on this scale no. Or some releases from big festivals that artists do themselves. As far as being proud, yes I am proud of getting good music to the people. If it’s by organising a festival or releasing records on my label, it’s really the same thing. It started out as a way to get the music out that Walter and me liked. The label for me is a continuation of that. 

You can stream Helmzmen from the new Hell: Live At Roadburn 2018 record, which is currently up for pre-order, via bandcamp below:-

You can buy physical copies via bandcamp above and also from Burning World Records here - 

https://www.burningworldrecords.com/

Roadburn Records - https://www.facebook.com/roadburnrecs/

Roadburn Festival - https://www.facebook.com/roadburnfestival/

Sweet Empire - A New Cycle

Labels: Shield Recordings/Umlaut Records/Bad Wolf Records/North Empire Records

Formats: Vinyl/CD/Digital

Release Date: 01 Apr 2019

Tracklist: 

 1. Drones

2. Thoughts And Prayers

3. Grand Denial

4. V.K.T

5. Remains

6. Lucy

7. The Hunter

8. iHermanos!

9. Please Stay

10. Hidden Voices

11. Nihilist Nation

Honorary citizens of this little Yorkshire town (Harrogate) Sweet Empire are back with a new record, their third full-length "A New Cycle". The Dutch quartet has teamed up with Bad Wolf Records (France), North Empire Records (The Netherlands), Shield Recordings (Benelux: Belgium, The Netherlands, Luxembourg) and Umlaut Records (United Kingdom) to release it on vinyl, CD as well as releasing it digitally. Despite my Internet connection being terrible for some reason, I'm going to attempt to get this review out to you.

Memories of watching Sweet Empire is small, crowded rooms in Harrogate are flooding back as I press play on “A New Cycle”. Drones begins the record in the best way, with Sweet Empire’s melodic punk ringing out. Their songs of resistance and upbeat music has always been a big draw and this is so much fun. Thoughts And Prayers bolsters that with plenty of sing-along moments and no complicated song structures or pretence. 

They’ve never been about long songs and that’s good, because it means that every one sticks in your head. Grand Denial is a prime example and it’s feel good factor is obvious. Alongside Antillectual, they’re the best punks in The Netherlands. That may be bold of me to say but I stand by it. Like Grand Denial, V.K.T is another urgent blast except this time it’s joined by added hardcore vox that adds aggression.

It’s back to the hummable, danceable punk on Remains. Sweet Empire don’t bother to solely ape the pop-punk big bands or whatever’s fashionable in punk. They play what they want and in doing so are worth way more, as Lucy proves. Their socially conscious lyrics provide an important message amongst the backdrop of melodic punk.

I definitely remember them being rawer than this live, but maybe I was just more inebriated than I thought at the time! Either way, I’d love to see them play The Hunter live as it’s full of energy. iHermanos! is the gang-like protest song that will probably get the biggest cheer though, as it talks of camaraderie and standing up to injustice.

Please Stay is a political anthem akin to those of Strike Anywhere and it’s brilliant. The riffs really stand out on penultimate song Hidden Voices, yet more catchy guitar work and vocals that help to make this album so good. In fact, all of the instrumentation (and the production/mixing/mastering) brings it to life with a sound that’s clear and so alive. Album closer Nihilist Nation rounds it out with a party vibe that’s the backbone of Sweet Empire. No complications and no reason to ignore this. Sweet Empire does it again. Now, come back to the ‘gate!

You can stream "A New Cycle" via Sweet Empire's Bandcamp page below, where it's available to buy on all formats:-

Sweet Empire - https://www.facebook.com/sweetempiremusic/

You can also grab the LB/CD from the links below:-

Shield Recordings - http://distro.shieldrecordings.com / https://www.facebook.com/shieldrecordings/

Umlaut Records - https://www.umlautrecords.co.uk/ / https://www.facebook.com/umlautrecs/

Bad Wolf Records - https://badwolfrecords.bandcamp.com/ / /https://www.facebook.com/badwolfrec/

North Empire Records - https://www.facebook.com/northempirebookings/

Bunkur/Mordor - Split

Labels: Nuclear War Now! Productions

Formats: CD/Vinyl/Digital

Release Date: 16 Nov 2017

1. Bunkur - The Subhuman (Carnivore Cover)

2. Mordor - In League With Wotan (Venom - In League With Satan Cover)

This is a strange split. It sees both Dutch doom band Bunkur and Swiss band Mordor re-imagine songs by classic metal bands. Bunkur chooses to cover Carnivore's The Subhuman while Mordor chooses In League Satan by Venom, but renames it In League With Wotan for the purposes of this split. Don't get me wrong, I understand why bands cover songs by other bands, but I don't understand why they decide to rename them (but that's just me I guess). A little bit of history about both bands; Bunkur is a drone/doom quartet from Tilburg (The Netherlands) and they've released several demos and split, as well as two full-lengths since their formation in 2001. Mordor is from Lausanne (Switzerland) and is more of a black metal/funeral doom type of band. They formed in 1987 at Arog before splitting up and reforming (sort of) as Mordor in 1990, going on to release a few demos, splits, a comp and an EP prior to this release.

I doubt this is going to be easy listening at all. Bunkur is first up with their re-imagining (urgh) of Carnivore’s The Subhuman. Their take on it is one filled with heavy and slow doom, with grisly vox. This song is 21 minutes long, so make of that what you will. As doom goes, it’s certainly at the extreme end of the spectrum and it’s certainly not bad by any means. Given the history of the band they’re covering and of Pete Steele’s (RIP) more melodic endeavours with Type O Negative later on, it’s hard to imagine a song more harrowing than this.

Next up is Mordor’s version of Venom’s In League With Satan, titled In League With Wotan. I don’t know the reason behind this re-branding, but it does irk me a little. That being said, the music that Mordor produces is equally as bleak yet also quite thoughtful. It features a lot of more sensitive instrumentation and a war metal slant, with vocals that consist of deep growls and the occasional use of grand clean singing. There’s a lot of groove that helps accentuate the higher tempo of the music as well.

This split is clearly the work of two bands that both have singular visions of how extreme music should be and for that reason, it is very engaging, though still a hard listen. Fans of the previous work of both Bunkur and Mordor, as well as that of Nuclear War Now! Productions will enjoy this for sure. Less adventurous metal fans might not. 

You can stream and purchase the split digitally below:-

Bunkur - https://www.facebook.com/Bunkur13/

Mordor - https://www.metal-archives.com/bands/Mordor

CD and LP copies can be purchased here - https://shop.nwnprod.com/collections/nwn-releases

Nuclear War Now! Productions - https://www.facebook.com/nwnprod/

Morvigor - Tyrant

Labels: Self-Released

Formats: CD/Digital

Release Date: 11 Nov 2017

Tracklist:

1. Intro

2. No Repentance

3. The Martyr's Ascension

4. Interlude

5. Blood Of The Pelican

6. Voices

7. Tyrant

8. Outro

It's heartwarming to see bands going to this level of detail with their self-released albums. In the case of Alkmaar (NED) melodic death/black metal band Morvigor, their second full-length "Tyrant" arrived in a four-panel digipack-style card sleeve and features a booklet including artwork and lyrics. They've been a band for about seven years and released their debut full-length "A Tale Of Suffering" in 2014. This year's started pretty well for them too, as they played alongside Arkhon Infaustus in January and they're due to appear with the likes of Asphyx and Dark Tranquillity in Hengelo (NED) in March, at Metropool Metal Fest.

It takes a few seconds for the Intro of “Tyrant” to begin, yet its anticipation that fills the gaps when the ambient sounds fade away. The first song proper is No Repentance. There’s a traditional feel to Morvigor’s sound, until the riffs and screams kick in that is! They thrash and flail with a huge dose of both heavy and black metal. There’s also a hefty amount of melodic death going on,  especially inside the guitar work and the semi-clean/harsh vocals mid-way through. The Martyr’s Ascension contains some strange guitar tuning during it’s opening bars, but when the full band kicks in it becomes very effective and takes on a new form. It’s here that you realise that Morvigor are more than just a death/black metal band and that they make use of a wider range of musical influences. Its pretty powerful and the kick-drums and rhythm section as a whole add to that power in the background. Later in the song it winds up being a full-on black metal assault full of blasts and shrieks that could have come from Satan himself. Aside from my cheesy description though, it is a really good listen. 

I’ve never really been a big fan of the Interlude as it tends to break up the momentum of a lot of albums. This one bridges the gap between the two longest songs on the record and the final few bars featuring the single guitar are very nice. Blood Of The Pelican follows and it’s a fifteen-minute plus leviathan. Its full of atmosphere and old-school worship, while Morvigor manages to avoid sounding dated or merely copyist. The production/mastering job certainly brings out the band’s impressive sound. It explodes into a huge black metal song with a grooving, almost-stoner feel to the instrumentation. It’s a clash of styles that, while subtle, work absolutely perfectly together and carries on throughout the song. The bass guitar riffs sound great and Morvigor excels at creating music that steers clear of the fire and brimstone approach of other black metal bands. Its sort of comforting really. Voices is another short song that features some strange electronic effects and samples. It’s kinda cool, especially when the feedback comes in and the sampled voices get louder. 

The album’s title-track leads on immediately afterwards and it takes you back to Morvigor’s thrashier sound. It’s impressive how much they can fit into a song, musically speaking. The solo in really strong and the clean vocals add another edge to it. It’s a rousing song that does borrow from folk metal in places. Mid-way through, the song dies out and after a brief pause you’re greeted with semi-improvisational guitar melodies that lead to a more sedate second half. At least that was what I thought anyway! There’s still time left for Morvigor to unleash one last twin-guitar fuelled attack. The piano of the Outro is a glorious way to end an album of twists and turns such as this. It’s been a really enjoyable listen from a band with plenty of promise. I reckon a lot of you will like this one. 

You can stream "Tyrant" and purchase it as a download or on CD (or both) here:-

Morvigor - https://www.facebook.com/Morvigor/