Horrid
The
Final Massacre
Black Tears 2012
Total
old school Swedish death metal worship from the bowels of Italy.
That's the pure essence of what Horrid is. This disk is a
compilation of sorts with 4 new unreleased studio tracks a 1998 demo
and a 1996 EP. And the music is surprisingly consistent. So
what can you expect? For me Horrid's sound as if they came
straight out of Sweden's early 90s scene. They remind me of some
of the second level bands like Excruciate and Megaslaughter. The
first track kicks out some down-tuned horror as the guitars smash your
head in. They burst forth from the intro like an uncaged animal.
Traditional Stockholm melodies flow like a river from the
speakers but they surprisingly meet up with some chunky American styled
brutal death metal and deep guttural vocals. Denied Life looms
like a dark shadow with its initial riffs before dropping into some
Cemetery-esque melodies. The ultra-heavy death metal vocals are
paired well with the music. With Misunderstood God the production
shifts slightly because of the different recording session. And while I am
on that topic, the songwriting remains pretty consistent across all
three recording sessions despite the passage of time between each one. As
I hear this track I am reminded of Gorement or perhaps God Macabre
because of the guitar tone of the demonic vocals. The riffs have
that typical Sunlight studio crunch while muddy melodies further imbue
the song with dismal atmosphere. The melody that introduces The
Prophecy is sooo familiar but I can't quite place it. Supreme
Swedish death metal echoes from my speaker. I still have a hard
time reminding myself that Horrid are from Italy. Horrid have
taken the Stockholm blue-print for death metal and added some
individual touches of added gore-drenched brutality for a brand of
heaviness that is familiar yet still manages to stay powerful and
memorable. The Final Massacre will crush you with the weight of
its riffs all the while entrancing you with its catchy and dark
melodies.