Review by Jeger on December 6, 2024.

From out of the land of tulips, clogs and weed emerges Marrow Of Man - a fresh new enterprise on the Netherlands black metal scene. Formerly known as Forlorn Hope, now a different musical beast altogether, but still helmed by multi-instrumentalist Sahand Mozbar who has, through the release of two EPs and now a debut full-length LP, proven to be an astute black metal artist with a visions of classicism and brutality for the finest dark art. "Storm of the Light's Bane" era Dissection ring a bell? Well, take some of the finer facets of that record and infuse a double-shot of aggression into the mix and you'll get Marrow Of Man's debut, Ancient Hymns Of Apocalypse, released on September 7 independently.

Like storm wind's gale o'er ashen battlefields of Armageddon is "Hymns", and this relentless scourge of end of days-heralding mayhem unfolds to Watain - "Rabid Death's Curse"-level intensity, but reined in by sweeping and raveled melodic passages that draw to mind the Land of the Midnight Sun's Taake or Kampfar in "Blazing Trumpets of Cessation" and "He Who Rides the Pale Horse". The former ignites the wick with a quasi-symphonic "In the Nightside Eclipse"-esque blitzkrieg before the latter divulges into a baser level of riffing set to soldierly rhythms and the sound of galloping hooves tearing through battle-worn earth. There's a palpable level of unrelenting guitar-dominated intensity to this album that places it on its own creative plateau when situated aside typical melodic black metal records; like tremolo shredding if there is such a thing and oft compounded by brut death metal-inspired gutturals that provide a most primal experience, despite the record's many elegances.

'Upon Mighty Planes Of Ash' - incomparable to any artist or school of BM - an idiosyncratic track that overcasts an ethereal yet commanding canopy of fierce riffs that are founded by rapid double-bass currents. the following track, 'Beyond The Frozen Meadows', hits with dismal DM repulsion before all proper epic and anthemic moments unfold. Victorious! A no life left to linger onslaught alive with striking leads that blast you onward into the killing fields toward glory and immortality. True black metal anthem upon anthem and even traces of balladry to deepen an already profound taking in.

Mozbar is destined to make a lasting impact with Ancient Hymns Of Apocalypse. He went for the carotid and nailed it. As exquisite as debuts come and a foreshadowing of future splendor. Not one weak track here, but a little more texture in product would've served the record well. Everything is glaring at the surface here in crashing tones. A small hiccup when considering the overall level of adeptness that Mozbar displays on all phases. What a talent and record labels will soon be making their calls. It will be well deserved. Marrow Of Man - one of many black metal solo projects, but a standout one indeed. A fine addition to the Netherlands' proud yet oft overlooked black metal scene.

Rating: 8 out of 10

Review by Carl on August 4, 2021.

This lot is quite the remarkable band. I got to know them through their On The Verge album, an effort in the vein of Pantera that had its moments, but no more than that. Their debut is an entirely different bag though. This is by far one of the most interesting releases I have ever heard. There's much going on here and it is really hard to pin them to one particular style, but instead of turning into a forced hodge-podge of different influences, it all blends together admirably without losing focus. Curious? No? Well, fuck you, I'm going to start yapping anyway.

The first handful of tracks have a heavy influence of old school hardcore punk, with names like Negative Approach, Siege and Discharge all coming to mind, best exemplified in a track like 'Behind Enemy Lines'. In other songs there's the NYHC sound of bands such as Dmize, Neglect and "One Voice" era Agnostic Front present, but to describe them as just a hardcore band would not do the band justice. The riffing and guitar sound have a definite Massacre "From Beyond" feel to them, maintaining a thrash/death metal feel throughout, while in a track like 'Internal Damage', the NYHC influences are combined with sludgy, doomed out metal in the vein of Saint Vitus, Black Sabbath and the slower material of a band like Carnivore, a trait they share with many of their NOLA contemporaries. The band keeps it varied throughout the whole of the album, interspersing faster parts with slower sections. On the second half of the album the faster hardcore punk influence becomes a little less outspoken, without completely disappearing though. This sees the band delving more into doomier Black Sabbath territory, while in 'Cell XIII' the band tries their collective hand at old school death metal. In 'The Truth Is In The Gas Chamber' they combine the cranky hardcore style of Sheer Terror with a burst of crossover thrash in the best D.R.I. and early Crumbsuckers tradition, while 'Future Of The Carcass' gives us a glimpse of what a metallic version of "My War" era Black Flag would sound like, but with added haunting keyboards. As you probably understand by now, this band will surprise you at every turn their music takes yet does this without becoming forced or unbelievable.

You'd be forgiven to think that all this would sound like a directionless mess, yet the band manages to keep it all together without losing focus of the total picture. The gruff vocals of Perry McAuley as well as the crunchy guitar sound and imaginative riffing act as combining factors for all the different influences embedded within the band's music. Helped in big part by the well above average production, the pounding hardcore/metal hybrid stays on point during the entire album, with sporadic haunting melodies and gang vocals providing some well-placed hooks. Yet in all honesty, this album will require a few spins to totally get to the bottom of what the band has to offer, but it certainly is worth the effort. This is one of those awesome albums that get better the more you hear it, always discovering elements you haven't heard before.

It's not hard to imagine why this album kinda got lost between the cracks of time. It may combine elements from thrash metal, doom metal, hardcore punk and death metal, yet it isn't any of those genres in particular. On this album the band followed their own path, to impressive effect I will add, but at a time that black metal was about to take over from death metal, that had taken over from thrash metal years before that, this album was without chance.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10