With their debut album in the bag Hoardez set off touring until it eventually came apparent they needed some new material. An album seemed too long a process and so this EP came about. Once again this band aimed at driving Metal back into the charts but would it be possible with to do so with this EP and a collection of potential singles?
Hoardez:
Roy Glorbson- Vocals
Mitch Dalrey- Lead/Rhythm Guitars
Nigel Judis- Rhythm/Lead Guitars
Sam Quentin- Bass/keyboards
Gary Leady- Drums
Tracks:
1. Satan's Musketeers: "Fight my men and you shall be rewarded greatly with the souls of your prey, the time has come for Judgement Day." The opening line which is spoken clearly emphasis the title. As for the track it’s a galloping metal thriller. The haunting vocals are enough to disturb you and the guitars are given a sharp edge to drive the song into your head. The drums emphasise this driving anthem and there is a great deal of fast bass drumming and cymbal smashing. Once you reach the chorus the track cimbs into a burning climax with some strong vocal work. 4/5
2. Revenge of the Gods: This track is quite similar to Dying for the Day as it is very progressive. The song is mainly structured around a mix of guitar duelling with the keyboard occasionally chipping in with some neat little appegio bits. Gary offers some sublime drumming and Roy gives some powerful vocals. As the track progresses there is a mega instrument “shoot out”, Mitch the victor IMO but there is some brilliant examples of guitar and bass soloing. There is a random drum bit that just urges you to join in, drummer or not, it eventually leads into a mix of bubbling FX which lets all hell loose at the finalle. 4.5/5
3. Kill the Bastards: A relatively short track energized by lively vocals and pacey nimble bass playing. The tune is quite repetative but it does get in your head and stay there for ages. This track is arguabley the weakest on the album as there is very little on offer. There is the inclusion of an organ for some extremley random reason but it doesn’t do any harm to the song, it’s just not as great as the previous two. 3/5
4. The Calls of the Dead: A mid paced song based around dead zombies inheriting the earth. The central guitar riff is annoyingly tricky to play but is something that creates the expertise of this song and also happens to be very addictive to listen to. The lyrics are above par but are sung in a poor manner that dissolves my enjoyment of this track.. at the middle mark the track slows right down and becomes somewhat strange with loads of various keyboard programming involved. The ending guitar lick is impressive however I sometimes give this track a skip.3.5/5
5. Revolt: The final track on this EP. After hearing this EP for the first time I was praying for this track to make up for the last two in which I was rather dissapointed with. The intro begins with some faint sounding drumming and guitar riffing until it gradually increases to the regular volume but then stops. At this point I was concerned about that being the entire track, but no thank God I was wrong! This song is probably the best song written by them.. The silence is broken when Roy shouts “Revolution!!!” and all the instruments start up with some oustanding techinical playing. Argualby most impressive is the thunderous drumming but some would say it is the guitar onslaught in which riff and solo after riff and solo is given. There are some really creative lyrics and genuinely good vocals. The song is so involving and the atmosphere is immense, definitely 5/5.
This EP is another demostration of the quality of this band, it would be nice if it progresed into an album but we’ll have to wait and see. This EP is worth the buy of ‘Revolt’, alone which is a masterpiece. It could be debaited to whether this is better than the album but nevertheless a worthwhile purchase.
Overall:4.5/5
This is my first review and I will accept all criticism providing the content is honest and relvant. Thankyou and Goodnight!
