Review Summary: Easy-listening black metal
It might seem self-evident that the summary to this review is meant as a pejorative. I mean, black metal, at least during its renowned second wave incarnation, was supposed to be the uncompromising music of outsiders. Even today, with the boundaries of the genre expanded widely, at a time when most bands in the style are no longer aspiring to trve obscurity or cloaking their music in intentionally low-budget production, my simple statement probably comes across as a putdown. But it's not.
The latest LP from long-running German project Horn,
Verzet, is, simply put, just a well-crafted set of songs which prove instantly accessible and also hold up well to repeat listening. In today's over-saturated landscape of black metal releases,
Verzet might not feel innovative, but it's both an unusually immediate effort and a quite masterfully executed one.
Opener "Pein Muss (Gerieben Als Korn)" sets a solid foundation for what's to come, even while being one of the heavier tracks on offer. Providing a buoyant sense of triumph reminiscent of Amon Amarth, it's a catchy, relatively short number. Later tracks are generally more expansive, giving each tune room to breathe, with songs like the ferocious "A Hill To Die On" and the doomy riffage of the title-track closer particularly excelling. Throughout, Horn provide folky elements, potent melodies, and paganistic clean vocals to accompany the requisite buzzsaw guitars and shrieking screams.
Verzet doesn't reinvent the wheel, as the old reviewing cliche goes. About two decades into Horn's existence, the one-man band seems focused instead on perfecting the balance of melody, atmosphere, and heaviness. The alchemy is pretty much spot on with this record. A suitably concise listen, this album should prove entertaining to a relatively wide audience. While it's far from Top 40 material,
Verzet is an inviting work which seems destined to appeal to both diehard black metal fans and genre novices.
