Review by Felix on July 24, 2019.

In 1996, OHL informed us that Die Stunde der Wahrheit ("Hour of Truth") had begun. The band with the more or less militant image released an album crammed full of 16 songs. Usually, I am skeptical whenever it comes to such a configuration. But in this case, my distrust was unfounded. In spite of its almost opulent length of 46 minutes, the album avoids lackluster pieces. All songs are equipped with concise riffs, leads and lines, they do not lack substance and they come directly to the point. And it goes without saying that the currish band still has a message, even though the dudes are not on any kind of mission. Fortunately, they are no preachers, but they do not shy away from clear statements and that's a good thing. Be hot or be cold but avoid being lukewarm.

Based on a powerful, well-defined sound, the songs can develop their full aroma. OHL find the right balance; on the one hand, the album scores with its homogeneity, on the other hand, the single tracks do not suffer from a lack of individuality. For example, "Die Wirklichkeit" thrives on its dynamic intensity, while "Sei still" rather shines with the crunchy main riff that mirrors musical inelasticity. Although their stylistic frame does not leave much wiggle room, the four dudes find options to vary their approach without violating the guidelines of the genre. Given this situation, it comes as no surprise that all somewhat crude and slightly amateurish elements of their early outputs do not reappear here. The album sounds almost polished and the songs have a smooth flow, but this does not mean that the necessary combativeness and harshness are missing. Despite the comparatively clean production, the album spreads an aggressive mood. The battle tested soldier on the cover does not promise too much. As a marginal note, this is no German soldier. I know that you were aware of this fact. I just wrote it, because some people have nothing better to do than blaming OHL for being Nazis. Courageous, sometimes anonymous anti-fascists! Frankly speaking, they are as strange as their counterparts on the other side of the political spectrum.

Speaking of strange people, Hanno Kress from the Rock Hard magazine was one of these persons that thought they must blame the band for the lyrics. She was of the opinion that "Die falsche Front" could have been written by Manfred Kanther, a very conservative law-and-order politician. But this was cheap polemics from someone who did not know how to fill the white sheet in front of her. (And it was an irony of history, that exactly this so-called law-and-order politician was later sentenced to a fine for having misused money...) Be that as it may, much more relevant was the fact that OHL's mix of metal and punk sounded fresh, lively and uncompromising. Even more than 20 years after its release, Die Stunde der Wahrheit still scores with these traits. Okay, if we want to scrutinize the album with a very picky mindset, we can moan about the fact that the record does not hold real earworms. But I hope you agree that this is not the crucial factor for an album at the interface of two non-conformist styles. Anyway, if you want to hear an earworm from OHL, I recommend listening to "Warschauer Pakt". This is the eighth song of another great album which is called... but I guess that's another story.

Rating: 8 out of 10

Review by Jeger on October 21, 2024.

Norway - home to the heavyweights of the black metal genre: Gorgoroth, Emperor, Immortal, 1349, and Satyricon to name a handful, but from out of Oslo emerges a new kind of brutality in the form of Abhorration; savage death metal with a blackened edge to see the demise of everything you thought you knew about the scene. And it’s through unrelenting aggression and unparalleled intensity that this ghastly quartet is making their sonic crimes heard. As all hope for a better future for humanity fades and as the daemons of the pit writhe in the ecstasy of our demise, it’s artists like this gaggle of brutes who are tracking sound to this inevitable end of days. Invoke them! Wrestle with their unholy power and forge ungodly steel over flames of diabolism in the name of all that is infernal, all that is daemonic. On November 1, 2024 Abhorration will release their debut LP, Demonolatry via underground sages, Invictus. 

Heritage? Storytelling? Not today, friends. Prepare for your soul to be torn asunder to the sound of perpetuating chaos like you’ve never heard before as 'Chamber Of Agilarept' and 'Spawn Of The Abhorrent Entity' unfold. Chopping, inertia-inducing progressions along with ripping leads set to compounding rhythms to see you off into the fiery chasms of the underworld. Abrupt, ever-shifting time changes, difficult to piece together, and brandishing sonic weaponry comparable only to outfits like Chile’s Mayhemic or USA’s Ancient Malignity: death-laden grinds, maniacal rhythmic onslaughts, and scaling riffs. Music to murder god’s sheep to - tearing through their tender flesh - incisors dripping with holy crimson. Other equally violent tracks like 'Invoke Them' and the titular track homage Morbid Angel’s “Altars Of Madness” days. Azagthoth would be proud of our boys here. Abhorration operate with sadistic intent throughout the majority of the recording except for the mid-tempo’d 'The Grace Of Immolation' where death doom juggernauts, Asphyx, and Incantation are heralded throughout each torque-driven passage. 

Scrambling the senses and brutalizing any sense of innocence you may have possessed. You’ll go to Hell for listening to this one… Traces of technicality here and there, but above all that mumbo-jumbo stands paramount a familiar sense of blood-boiling blasphemy to immolate the heavens and to tear the wings off of angels. Wretched and cursed, tyrannical and relentless the whole way through. 

There’s been a recent Norwegian rise in death metal notoriety as of late. An extreme metal scene dedicated primarily to black metal, now a Mecca for raw death metal that homages the Satanic titans of the international scene: the above-mentioned Morbid Angel, Deicide, and Possessed. After all, it wouldn’t be Norwegian if not for a bit of Hell-raising, and considering the fact that true death metal’s origins are rooted in the diabolical, it’s only fitting. Abhorration - bastard sons of The Devil and functioning wholly on His red hot energy. Bang your head or ignite the flames of ritual - the choice is yours! The only choice you will not have is the relinquish your soul over to Him. With Demonolatry, Abhorration rape righteousness, and shit on all that is divine. True… fucking… death metal from start to finish.

Rating: 8 out of 10

Review by Felix on July 24, 2019.

In 1996, OHL informed us that Die Stunde der Wahrheit ("Hour of Truth") had begun. The band with the more or less militant image released an album crammed full of 16 songs. Usually, I am skeptical whenever it comes to such a configuration. But in this case, my distrust was unfounded. In spite of its almost opulent length of 46 minutes, the album avoids lackluster pieces. All songs are equipped with concise riffs, leads and lines, they do not lack substance and they come directly to the point. And it goes without saying that the currish band still has a message, even though the dudes are not on any kind of mission. Fortunately, they are no preachers, but they do not shy away from clear statements and that's a good thing. Be hot or be cold but avoid being lukewarm.

Based on a powerful, well-defined sound, the songs can develop their full aroma. OHL find the right balance; on the one hand, the album scores with its homogeneity, on the other hand, the single tracks do not suffer from a lack of individuality. For example, "Die Wirklichkeit" thrives on its dynamic intensity, while "Sei still" rather shines with the crunchy main riff that mirrors musical inelasticity. Although their stylistic frame does not leave much wiggle room, the four dudes find options to vary their approach without violating the guidelines of the genre. Given this situation, it comes as no surprise that all somewhat crude and slightly amateurish elements of their early outputs do not reappear here. The album sounds almost polished and the songs have a smooth flow, but this does not mean that the necessary combativeness and harshness are missing. Despite the comparatively clean production, the album spreads an aggressive mood. The battle tested soldier on the cover does not promise too much. As a marginal note, this is no German soldier. I know that you were aware of this fact. I just wrote it, because some people have nothing better to do than blaming OHL for being Nazis. Courageous, sometimes anonymous anti-fascists! Frankly speaking, they are as strange as their counterparts on the other side of the political spectrum.

Speaking of strange people, Hanno Kress from the Rock Hard magazine was one of these persons that thought they must blame the band for the lyrics. She was of the opinion that "Die falsche Front" could have been written by Manfred Kanther, a very conservative law-and-order politician. But this was cheap polemics from someone who did not know how to fill the white sheet in front of her. (And it was an irony of history, that exactly this so-called law-and-order politician was later sentenced to a fine for having misused money...) Be that as it may, much more relevant was the fact that OHL's mix of metal and punk sounded fresh, lively and uncompromising. Even more than 20 years after its release, Die Stunde der Wahrheit still scores with these traits. Okay, if we want to scrutinize the album with a very picky mindset, we can moan about the fact that the record does not hold real earworms. But I hope you agree that this is not the crucial factor for an album at the interface of two non-conformist styles. Anyway, if you want to hear an earworm from OHL, I recommend listening to "Warschauer Pakt". This is the eighth song of another great album which is called... but I guess that's another story.

Rating: 8 out of 10