Review by Carl on January 3, 2022.

It's war metal, nothing more, nothing less.

So what's in a name, eh? Barbaric Horde is musically situated somewhere between bands like Black Witchery, Diocletian, Blasphemy and Caveman Cult. The band does not care for things like subtle nuance, technical proficiency or melodic variation, but goes for blunt force trauma instead. The raging guitar and distorted bass parts are relentlessly tremelo picked savagery, barely resembling traditional riffing of any kind, held together by a percussive assault more resembling a stationary running machine gun, than it does anything akin to traditional drumming. The vocal approach is equally punishing: a hoarse roar, spewing blasphemous bile all over the sonic raving assault of the instrumentation. Slower parts do pop up now and then, but they are not intended as resting spaces in the whirlwind of malevolence that is the music, but are only there to batter the listener to death more slowly. The production fits the music perfectly, even if the guitars could have been somewhat more up front in the mix, but it oozes savage power and insane aggression. This album is a merciless aural bludgeoning that has power and conviction, exactly what you (and I) expect from the bestial black/war metal genre. It's straight forward crushing black/death metal, both in sound and execution.

This is music intended to land like a fist in the stomach, and Barbaric Horde does exactly that. They aren't the most original of their kind, far from it actually, but the band has delivered an awesome sample of the genre. This is certainly recommended to all into the aforementioned bands, and those into other sorts of aggressive and brutal black/death/grind should take notice too. This is sublime savagery that will not disappoint.

In short: it's war metal, nothing more, nothing less. As it should be.

Rating: 8 out of 10

Review by Alex on June 4, 2020.

Portugal refuses to be left out of the conversation and happenings surrounding black/death/war metal; hence the region makes yet another intemperate advance as they toss fire tipped spears at the meek and pitiful. The army in question, Barbaric Horde, a command of two it appears, though the collective march with trumpeting waves of aggression conveyed via a stabbing of the drum snare, a violent arm wrestle between bass and guitar all of which is supervised by means of a destructive vocal ordinance, making them just as lethal as a platoon of 100. Axe of Superior Savagery out on Godz Ov War Records June 8th is the unit's 1st full-length developed since the beginning of their march in 2016. As the name implies, nothing is civilized nor mannerly on Axe of Superior Savagery so don't expect to be cuddled.

'Tyrant of the Dark Trinity' is a pulse thumping attack possessing features traced back to notable bands such as Proclamation, Conqueror and Archgoat, to even smaller ones the likes of Caveman Cult and the short lived but exceptional, Damaar (Lebanon). Most certainly Barbaric Horde are not without their own penchants as you'd find the kick and bass is quite definitive and is in someways a challenge to the primary guitars in opposition to being suppressed in the mix. This is easily noticeable with 'Antichrist Command' and 'Venomous Infernal Carnage' that see the main guitars move about restlessly under the drums and vocals resulting in a blurry-chaotic sort of buzz that aggravates the violent tone on Axe of Superior Savagery. Meanwhile, the drumming through its primitive behavior emphasizes 'Savagery' in the album-title given it's pronounced and played in a brutish exclamation identical to that of an almost preliterate form of communication.

Axe of Superior Savagery has a musical pattern that is fairly easy to follow, returning to the primitive methodology of the drumming which the guitars trail almost step-for-step. However, this is not to be seen as something hindering the music, as there are some moments of accentuation and deceleration offering contrast to entries like 'Barbaric Provocation' (that moves from a steady mid-paced thump to an accelerated militant blast-beat on select occasions) and 'Bow Before the Altar of Satan' (which uses a combination of explosive blast beats and short doom driven passage towards the middle and closing sections). Bare in mind that when playing this kind of music, what really matters is the intensity it carries and not so much the technical scope of the material, though some bands use complex recordings to add to their chaotic sound. However; when thinking of war metal and themes the likes of rudimentary warfare, complexity is not the general first thought, hence the framework on 'Storms of Primitive Violence' with its raw and radical approach both vocally and instrumentally adheres to this philosophy.

Play Axe of Superior Savagery if you're going to be attending a world peace seminar anytime soon an need some fitting music. it's a strong album to kick-start Barbaric Horde's militant rise in the underground.

Rating: 8.6 out of 10