There is beating the dead horse and then there is kicking the skeleton after all the meat has rotted off. Horna milk all they can out of an idea but discard it before it becomes too putrid. Once again we have ‘unoriginal’ black metal with rehashed elements highlighting past glories, on once again, if you count yourself a Horna fan of the Corvus period you will not be disappointed.

If you picked up the split with Peste Noire you have already been enjoying one quarter of this cd release. If you picked up the vinyl version of Pimeyden Hehku you know it comes with two bonus tracks (“Talvenvarjo pt. 1” and “Talvenvarjo pt. 2”). If, like me, you couldn’t find it, thank Moribund for a domestic release of the four-song cd version. Maybe being Horna gives them an edge, but this is one band that I have followed through many changes over the years that I can honestly say that I have enjoyed all their releases.

Horna are still adherents to thin production, raw sound, and vocals so weak in the mix as to be barely audible. The drums are far from dominating but are clear enough to be heard. The guitars really lead the ebb and flow and deserve their position in the mix, though they do not stand out as loudly as on Envaatnags Eflos Solf Esgantaavne. On Pimeyden Hehku they have slowed the pace, softened the delivery, and simplified the song structure but have not compromised the raw edge or the core tenants of black metal. Once again lengthy passages without words highlight the instrumentation. “Nostalgiaa” opens the disc in full glorious anthem mode, and they don’t look back until the final riff twenty minutes later. Another not to be missed release.

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