THE BURNING - review added 21st October 2010
Album Review: Hail The Horde (2010)
For fans of: Groove Metal... and Popeye the singing man
We reviewed the last album from Denmark's The Burning - Johnny Haven on vocals, Alex The Kid on guitar, Thue Moeller on bass, and Toby Hoest on drums - only last year. "Rewakening" was a fine album, though a few rungs away from the top of the ladder. It's a surprise to see the band releasing another LP so soon, but thanks to the quality on show here we'll let them off.
"Hail The Horde" is a hellish brute of an album with the sort of power and volume you'd normally associate with a battle tank firing a shot a few feet away. But...the album has tons of panache too. There are quiet moments scattered throughout, but they don't sound forced or unnecessary. They simply serve to make the loud sections even more potent.
One listen to 'Flames Be Your Friend' will let you know just how potent this band can be. Not only is the song off-the-scale loud, it's memorable, groovy and superbly performed too. It's not alone either. As the album plays through, more and more big-moment-songs rear their heads. Okay, nothing is going to go down in folklore, but as a whole this is an album filled to the brim with class. Vocalist Johnny 'Popeye Features' Haven sounds better than ever on "Hail The Horde". In fact the guy really comes of age on this album. If "Rewakening" was testing the water, "Hail The Horde" is turning the water into wine and then drinking the whole damn lot...or something like that.
In summation...
We like this album in a big way. It's a definite improvement over the previous release, so if you liked "Rewakening" you'll love this.
Check out... All of it.
Track List:
01. Godless
02. Bait The Hook
03. Flames Be Your Friend
04. Nihilist Life
05. Swing The Pendulum
06. Wolfmoon
07. Hail The Horde
08. Inverted Cross Syndrome
09. Metamorphosis
10. Baptized In Bong Water
11. Turn Or Burn
12. Disownment
Label: Massacre Records
Artist's website(s): The Burning | MySpace
