Horna

Sudentaival is the third full-length album from Horna. Released in March 2001 on Woodcut Records, this record sticks out like a sore thumb, when compared to the rest of the band's discography. For a band that has long been one of the pillars of the Finnish black metal scene, they made a severe misstep with this release. Thankfully, they learned from their mistakes, down the line.

Musically, this is not terribly far from the material that was heard on Kohti Yhdeksän Nousua. The band took several years to really find their own style, and this album is a product of that confusion. At this point, Shatraug's brilliant guitar melodies had not yet taken shape, so there is a mixture of generic ideas and some that demonstrate a shred of the potential that would soon be realized. The atmosphere of this L.P. is anything but dark or evil, which is a shift from the previous outing. While Haudankylmyyden Mailla was plagued by an overall sense of unoriginality, there was definitely an effort to pay homage to the early-'90s Norwegian scene. Sudentaival seems to have been reaching out to more modern tastes, at the time. The overall approach sounds more in line with later Marduk, as the vocals and percussion dominate the sound. The blast beats seem to crush any attempt that the guitars make at creating a dark feeling.

The production is much more at fault for this atrocity than the songwriting. It sounds extremely fake and plastic, suffering from a sound that is similar to what one would expect from Abyss Studio. This gives off the impression of being horribly-produced death metal, moreso than having anything to do with black metal. The drums are way too high in the mix and the guitars are buried underneath everything else, when it should have been the other way around. I recall the confusion when I first put this CD in, as I thought I had been sent the wrong album. While the band's earlier efforts were all slightly too modern-sounding for my taste, this one crossed a line that no one can deny. The fact of the matter is that Sudentaival is not completely worthless, musically, but the horrible sound makes it nearly impossible to enjoy. Only during the slower sections are the sombre guitar melodies allowed to breathe. It is a shame as, with a more underground production and a little more work on the material, itself, this could have been a decent album.

Sudentaival is the one Horna record that I would not recommend. The few positives that it possesses are not really worth enduring the rest. Obviously, this did not have the greatest effect for the band members, either, as Nazgul left to start Satanic Warmaster and Shatraug began putting most of his energy into Sargeist, not long after this. After developing his style a bit more, with that project, the following Horna releases began to really take on an identity of their own. My advice would be to skip this and move on to Envaatnags Eflos Solf Esgantaavne.

(6 Nov. 2006)

Sudentaival (2001) [2017 remaster]

After sixteen years, Horna's third full-length finally received a much-needed overhaul. Sudentaival was an absolutely atrocious album, a record plagued by a terribly modern production that was at odds with the material itself. Upon hearing other recordings of the songs, it became clear that the songwriting was not as bad as I'd initially thought. The problem was that the awful sound made the L.P. completely unlistenable and best forgotten. Finally, in the summer of 2017, a new version of this album emerged, with the end result being immensely superior to the original release.

Taken from the original studio tapes, the whole thing was remixed and remastered from scratch. The biggest difference is that the drums are much lower in the mix, with the worthless triggers completely removed. Anyone familiar with Horna's older work likely noticed that each album possesses a louder and clearer drum sound, until reaching a point on Sudentaival where the drums totally dominated and destroyed everything else. Gorthaur was spending far too much time with his death metal side project and it seemed to have a detrimental effect on Horna. With this major obstacle out of the way, one can actually hear the guitar riffs during the faster parts, rather than primarily during the slower sections. The guitar tone is a little murkier than on the original, but still not bad. In this form, one can actually hear what is going on, beyond the insanely loud drums and the irritating vocal echo, the latter of which was also removed. As such, Shatraug's riffs are able to breathe more and songs like "Talventuoja", "Haudanusva" and "Hautajaisyö" actually stand out as opposed to being consumed by the wall of noise. One is actually able to get a better feel for the material and to see the band finding their own style.

Even though it's been remixed, the manner by which the instruments were played at the time could not be changed. Though downplayed to a large degree, the execution of the material differs from the previous versions, in some cases. For example, the drumming has been lowered in the mix but one can still hear what sounds like a dulled clatter, which still has an effect on the atmosphere. There are also instanced of pinch harmonics creeping into the songs, despite not being present on the demo recordings. Things still sound overly rigid, in some respects, betraying the highly-professional, fake, plastic sound of the original.

For those who were disappointed with the 2001 L.P., releases such as Ordo Regnum Sathanas, Korpin Hetki and the second split with Musta Surma offered listeners a chance to hear some of these songs in a much more appropriate manner, already. In fact, those renditions of tracks like "Synkän Muiston Äärellä", "Noidanloitsu" and "Kun Synkkä Ikuisuus Avautuu" are superior to even the ones found on this remixed album. Honestly, even the demo versions found on Kun synkkä ikuisuus avautuu are better, in many cases, just possessing a gloomier feeling. "Vihasta ja Arvista" is an interesting case where the faster riffs come across better on the demo, producing a grim, droning effect, while the mid-paced sections seem more developed on the studio version. However, it must be said that the song "Black Metal Sodomy", regardless of which incarnation, is total trash.

While this remastered version of Sudentaival is a vast improvement over the original release (and came many years too late to matter), certain elements of the modern sound could not be entirely erased and previous recordings of this material still feel more genuine, in a lot of cases. It is still nice to finally be able to give it a listen and to count it as a worthy part of the band's discography, as opposed to rejecting it and utterly denying its existence. In one of my earliest album reviews, I recommended that no one, not even the most die hard Horna fan, go anywhere near Sudentaival. Now, I can say that it definitely warrants a listen. Hopefully, it won't take them an additional sixteen years to actually release it on CD, as it's presently only available on vinyl.

(22 Dec. 2017)

Following the utter disaster known as Sudentaival, the Horna camp was seemingly devastated. Nazgul exited the band and focused on Satanic Warmaster. Shatraug's side project, Sargeist, similarly demonstrated a total rejection of the fake, plastic sound of the most recent Horna record. It looked as if the band ceased to be, for a time. However, 2002 saw a second split album with the rather unimpressive Musta Surma, featuring re-recorded versions of the Varjoissa material. As Horna was beginning a new phase of existence, it was sort of appropriate that Shatraug revisited these songs.

There is a dark and haunting atmosphere created by the abundance of mournful tremolo melodies and the anguished vocals. At times, there is even an epic feeling, such as the riff that appears around the middle of the title track. There is a close connection between this music and that of the early Norwegian black metal scene, with Shatraug often citing Emperor's earliest work as one of the primary influences for forming a band. In fact, the songwriting is quite a bit stronger than a lot of the aforementioned band's works, with a strong sense of consistency that runs through all of the songs. There is a decent amount of variation in tempo, though most of the songs are built round the typical northern sound, with fast-picked tremolo riffs and intense drumming. The pace slows down, at times, when needed. The vocals sound influenced by Count Grishnackh's efforts on the early Burzum records, being sort of a tormented shriek instead of anything particularly demonic. While this is probably the weakest part of the recording, it definitely suits the sombre tone of the guitar riffs.

Another factor in making this such a good release is that the production is exactly how it should be. Whereas the band's first albums sounded a bit too modern, at times, this has a pure underground production that really helps with the obscure and sorrowful atmosphere that the music creates. Everything is arranged to allow the guitars to be the center of attention and to have space to breathe. The vocals are buried in the mix, a bit, but this only helps the overall feeling. The drumming is clear enough to keep time but never interferes with what is important. This may not compare to the necro sound of Wrath of the Tyrants, but it is far more fitting than the sort of production found on the band's earlier full-lengths.

It may be tempting to overlook this as some meaningless split album, but to ignore this release would be a mistake. This re-recorded version of the Varjoissa demo definitely improves upon the original and sets the stage for the sort of raw and miserable material that would eventually emerge from the reborn Horna. Like a malignant cancer, this band fed upon the darkness that resides within us all, growing and improving with time.

(11 Sept. 2012)

Since the release of Sanojesi Äärelle, Horna had been unusually silent. There have been a handful of releases, including a live album and a collection of songs recorded some years earlier, as well as an anniversary E.P. that featured the band's original line-up. Shatraug also took time to work on side projects, such as Sargeist and Mortualia. In the meantime, Corvus left the band to focus on other things. Fans were given their first taste of new vocalist Spellgoth on the Adventus Satanae mini-album. After some delays, in March 2013, Horna finally returned with a new full-length, Askel Lähempänä Saatanaa.

The production is pretty grimy and primitive, which is usually a good thing. In this case, the drums are far too loud in the mix and the guitar melodies are somewhat difficult to follow. The more active the percussion becomes, the less one is able to discern one riff from another. Horna has been going for a rather lo-fi and raw approach for the last decade or so, but this is sometimes hit-and-miss. It's too bad that they haven't gone for the sort of sound that was present on the Korpin hetki material, which was one of the better production jobs Horna ever managed.

Stylistically, there are no surprises to be found. The band's roots in the early '90s black metal scene are on display, as usual. However, this record does seem to be lacking the eerily haunting riffs that characterized Envaatnags Eflos Solf Esgantaavne and Sanojesi Äärelle. The songwriting is solid and maintains a consistent feeling throughout, never straying from the pure black metal sound that Horna is known for. Unfortunately, the album comes off as a little too safe and predictable. This can be a good thing in some cases. For any other band, this would be an above-average album. Released under the banner of Horna, it seems to be missing something. Spellgoth's vocals don't help, either. He isn't terrible at his job, but he relies a bit too much on random shouts that are just annoying and stupid. He really doesn't really command your attention in the way that Nazgul or Corvus did. Still, he suits the music well enough. The songwriting is rather straightforward, with a few less meaningful tempo changes than before. There are also less of the catchy riffs that Shatraug is known for, though a few are present. Over the course of the album, the quality of the music seems to improve a bit. Songs like "Ei Aikaa Kyyneleille" and "Kärsimyksin Vuoltu Hänen Valittuna Äänenään" feature some of the first really memorable riffs on the whole record, outside of those found late in the title track. During the faster parts of the latter track, the tremolo melodies are almost hypnotic and epic, with the drumming seeming to fade into the background like a heavy rain on a metal roof that you gradually come to disregard. "Aamutähden Pyhimys" features a slower section, near the end, that somewhat captures the mournful feeling conveyed by much of the band's output.

All in all, Horna fans have no reason to hate this, though some may have been expecting something a little more monumental after such a long wait. Askel Lähempänä Saatanaa is a forgettable album, inferior to any of the full-lengths from the Nazgul era. The production reeks of some sort of modern filth, in a sense, trying to sound old but failing. It has its moments, and a lot of the songwriting itself sounds like it could have been written in the mid-'90s, but the execution is flawed. Give it a listen and judge for yourself, perhaps others will be less picky.

(11 Mar. 2013)






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