Review by Felix on October 27, 2021.

Hunters Moon? Well, a rather parsimonious EP was their first and last sign of life – until now! To my big surprise, we receive a new work of this band after a hiatus of “only” twelve years. Of course, some might say that the band was not relevant so far, but firstly I disagree and secondly a new album can be a gamechanger, if I am not mistaken. So, step into The Great Pandemonium and realize what happens.

First things first, Hunters Moon are not Judas Priest. Okay, no one has claimed this. What I want to say is: although the break lasted longer than a decade, they did not change their style significantly. Don’t fear a “Turbo” symptom just two years after a fantastic, faith-defending album. Even if these guys (with Denouncement Pyre and Nocturnal Graves merits) would sleep for 24 years, they would still feel forge red hot iron instead of stumbling “out in the cold”. Facts like this one separate authentic bands from once respected pioneers who have become greedy for money. This does not mean that The Great Pandemonium offers the identical meal as The Serpents Lust. A lot of high-speed parts have crept in and they increase the level of fury, dynamic and drama. But the core of Hunters Moon’s art has remained untouched. There is this bitter, Darwinian component which is nowhere better cultivated than in Australia. D 666, Razor of Occam, the second album of Assaulter or, of course, Denouncement Pyre can tell you more about this characteristic feature. Based on a dense production which does not lack the necessary amount of filth, the eight songs leave a trail of devastation.

In a few moments, a melancholic desperation shimmers through the riffs and lines, but mostly the trio hails the Gods of merciless destruction. The dudes do not give the listener a pause for breath during the 40 minutes. Twelve years of breathing were more than enough! Without adhering to conventional verse-chorus-verse structures, they attack with cruelty from the first tones of the lava-like opener to the triumphant, militaristic ending of the closer. First lieutenant, I report obediently: no downers here! Song titles like 'Storm Of Hail And Fire' speak for themselves. The musical content fulfills the promises the names of the tracks indicate. But despite this harsh approach which is garnished with some hellish solos every now and then, the single cuts do not fall victim to a lack of catchiness. Naturally there are no arena-compatible sing-along parts. However, the thunderous outbursts possess a recognition value, at least up to a solid degree. The album acts like a medium-speed poison that gradually infiltrates the body. Only 'Red Death' is difficult to decode.

A great artwork is not missing, but – as always – the music is the crucial element. The fierce and intense 'Bride Over Chaos' does not only give the artwork an acoustic equivalent, but it also holds the line “great pandemonium, chaos” and so it works as a substitute for the absent title track. But the following 'Drag Them To The Coffins' also hits the mark exactly while presenting an exciting mix of general fury and morbid guitar licks. While the closer 'Hearse For A Barren Earth' sounds like the lament of a battle lord who looks over the blood-drenched fields after a terrible massacre, the excellent opening riff of the ominously rolling 'Torn By Talons' appears as the melody that has sent his legions to war. Obviously, The Great Pandemonium is nothing less but a partly fanatic, partly cold-blooded piece of black thrash metal that no fan of Craven Idol, Condor or the aforementioned Australian bands should miss.

Rating: 8.8 out of 10

Review by Fernando on August 8, 2022.

When it comes to extreme metal, New York is an interesting and very fertile “scene” of sorts. Many people would immediately think of slam death metal, and nowadays New York is mostly known for its avant-garde black metal scene. However, the Big Apple’s underground has had many blackened acts that eschew the avant-garde and overly technical bent for a more old school and vintage style, and that is certainly the case with the band Horns & Hooves and their devilishly deviant debut record I Am The Skel Messiah, released through Invictus Productions.

Horns & Hooves is the brainchild of vocalist and string violator Malebolge and multi-instrumentalist Salpsan, the latter being better known for the excellent band Spite, also from NYC. Originally formed in 2013, the band took its sweet time in unleashing their depraved brand of black metal in the form of a demo and EP in 2016 and 2017 respectively which turned a few heads of many underground enthusiasts, and after recruiting drummer Orobas, they brought this album. Horns & Hooves’ style of black metal is indeed very old school, with a very apparent thrash metal influence that’s also reminiscent of early Bathory and early Sodom, and that was certainly the case in their early tapes, being very fast and pounding, with a heavy emphasis of riffs and dry, rabbid, growling vocals, and while those characteristics are still present in I Am The Skel Messiah, the band have really pushed their sound to the next level, as well as carving their own unique sound.

The first thing I’ll say, which is both a disclaimer and it also bleeds into my one and only complain about this record, is the use of samples and the two interlude tracks, which is, this is a nasty and horny (pun intended) record, the album literally opens with gagging sounds which is up very unambiguous as to what kind of gagging that is. Now, the very deliberately sexual samples, references and overal tone the record has doesn’t bother me, in some areas its actually funny, but, they do make this record very, very Not Safe For Work, so my disclaimer would be to use headphones, otherwise you’re gonna get weird looks, and not just from listening to black metal. Which brings me to my complaint is the two interlude tracks, 'Amphetamines And Red Molochian Dreams (Prelude To Gooning)' and 'Narcanaanite (The Infernal Dose)', as preludes to their subsequent tracks they’re fine, and set the mood well, but at the same time, they’re just soundbites with dialogue and creepy synths, and given how aggressive and even dissonant the record is, these off-kilter and raunchy in-betweens kinda ruin the album’s pace, for me at least, and again, while I don’t mind the whole sex-in-the-sewer-dungeon, these two interludes alone make the album a must-listen-with-headphones, but I digress.

And with that out of the way, this record slays. The band’s first wave black metal sound is still present, but the band manage to have that thrash sound without the sound ever crossing into just black/thrash, the band accomplishes this with how they play their instruments and especially their songwriting. What keeps the record within the realm of black metal is the songwriting, as the songs have very repetitive and stripped down sections, with long dronning riffs and extended blast beats. On top of that, the music is very unorthodox, the long and repetitive sections are frequently off-set by complete shifts of pace or a very fast song has a bridge where the music slows down to a crawl or flat out stops for a hot second before the sonic mayhem resumes. Furthermore, the band have a very strong and adept sense of melody that keeps the record within black metal, but it also grants it that fresh and unique edge that most throwback black metal and blackened thrash bands often lack due to the overzealous focus on blistering speed, the melodicism, which is nevertheless dissonant and very much in line with modern black metal, while also being reminiscent of Greek black metal is what complete and refines the sound the band have in this record.

The band, also forgoes the standard verse-chorus-verse structure for the vocals,in favor of the music and their instrumentation carrying the lion’s share of repetition. On top of that, the music, for as acerbic and uncompromising it is, Horns & Hooves are masters of pacing, as each song has enough breathing room for each riff, melody and passage to be fully explored, this also applies for the guitar solos, which are very frequent, but also dynamic and very well placed, none of the solos Salpsan and Malebolge play feel haphazard or overlong. The vocals of Malebolge are also very evenly spread and are appropriately manic, the dude manages to switch between gritty dry howls, strained screeches, guttural grunts and even King Diamond style wailing, moaned spoken word and doom metalish singing, and it all blends and meshes perfectly. Furthermore, the band’s songwriting and overall performances boost the quality and enjoyment, Malebolge and Salpsan had already displayed excellent chemistry, and newcomer Orobas is not only an excellent drummer in his own right, he fits the band like a glove. Overall each member and the various elements they bring into this album is a complete and fully realized package, and with the exception of the interlude, every song is a banger, and as a whole its consistent in tone and quality from beginning to end. The major highlights and a true display of how dynamic and skilled Horns & Hooves are, are the songs 'A Wailing, And A Weeping, And A Busting Ov Cheeks' and the title track, as the band aren’t just good with speed and brutality, they’re also good with slow burners and mid-pace, which seamlessly transition back into aggression, and that to me, is the sign of true talent, since they managed to overcome the biggest shortcoming of extreme metal, which is being monotonous and one-note.

All in all, Horns & Hooves are that rare hidden gem that manages to embrace and honor the past, while also pushing the envelope in their own wickedly deviant way. I highly recommend anyone who enjoys black metal to give this record a spin, although and again, I recommend using headphones.

Best tracks: 'Baphomet In Steel', 'Blasphemic Gooning', 'A Wailing, And A Weeping, And A Busting Ov Cheeks', 'I Am The Skel Messiah'

Rating: 9 out of 10