US prog death metallers Horrendous stream new single
17th July 2023 0 By Jon DeauxPhilly’s finest and filthiest death metal band HORRENDOUS leave no stone unturned. While still on their grand US tour, the band is releasing their third track “Preterition Hymn”! The song is taken from the album ‘Ontological Mysterium‘, which will be released worldwide on the 18th of August, 2023.
“Preterition Hymn” is of a different Satanic verse than the two previous singles. It’s still plenty sinister, with hellacious vocals that sound like the band is being burned alive. But it’s more of a slow burn. The twin guitars wring out a tortured but deeply melodic riff that drips like sweet, sweet tears. Â
HORRENDOUS comments: “Preterition Hymn is a lament for the weary and the damnedâthose who, like in the myth of Tantalus, can glimpse the golden fruits of knowledge and divinity yet are kept perpetually just out of reach by the tides of misfortune and fate. It is a hymn of longing infused with the faintest hope that our misery is merely the cleansing ablution necessary to don the robe of flames, free at last.”
Pre-order “Ontological Mysterium + Limited Vinyl Frankenstein edition with Daniel Warren Johnson poster HERE and pre-save HERE
Tracklist:
1. The Blaze (02:00)
2. Chrysopoeia (The Archaeology of Dawn) (07:16)
3. Neon Leviathan (03:30)
4. Aurora Neoterica (01:56)
5. Preterition Hymn (03:58) [LISTEN HERE]
6. Cult of Shaadâoah (05:24)
7. Exeg(en)esis, (03:38)
8. Ontological Mysterium (04:44) [WATCH HERE]
9. The Death Knell Ringeth (05:20)
Total run time: 37:44
âSurprises always come up during writing â spontaneous ideas pull you into new territory and enable the realization of novel possibilities that previously were inaccessible.â
Such are the words from HORRENDOUS drummer Jamie Knox when discussing the creation of the bandâs fifth full-length, the highly anticipated Ontological Mysterium. Knoxâs quote also encapsulates HORRENDOUSâs approach to extreme metal. Since 2009, the band has capably tapped into the inaccessible by providing a fresh, unconventional take on death metal that harnesses technical brilliance with elaborate, mind-melding melodies, frothy, spewing vocals, and labyrinthine song structures. This combination has made each HORRENDOUS long player a clinic in the gratifyingly unorthodox. The trend continues on Ontological Mysterium.
The follow-up to 2018âs Idol was recorded, mixed and mastered at Subterranean Watchtower Studios in Virginia, which doubles as the homestead of guitarist/vocalist Damian Herring. While the band (completed by guitarist/vocalist Matt Knox and bassist Alex Kulick) finished much of the songwriting for Ontological Mysterium in 2019, its recording was delayed by the 2020 global pandemic and various life events. HORRENDOUS eventually finished recording in early 2022 and mastered the album before the start of 2023.
The album upholds HORRENDOUSâs position as one of the undergroundâs best outside-of-the-box extreme metal bands. Having long abandoned concern whether people would appreciate their âuniqueness,â HORRENDOUS has embraced its role as a band willing to veer far from death metal conventions, intentionally stretching and breaking norms. To wit, the band primarily views its music as filtered through a death metal lens. This may be HORRENDOUSâs defining trait: By not accepting parameters, nothing is off-limits.
In comparison to the complex, off-kilter vibe of Idol, Ontological Mysterium emerges as a more direct, if not confident, album, at times, recalling HORRENDOUSâs critically acclaimed 2015 opus, Anareta. The vocals of Matt Knox and Herring serve up an array of asphyxiating, phlegm-filled volleys that remain the ideal counterpoint to the bandâs jarring, multifaceted material. Moreover, HORRENDOUS remains unafraid to adorn their songs with lavish guitar melodies to offset frequently strenuous riffing. But the members of HORRENDOUS have long cited their affinity for metalâs glory years. It ended up being one of the defining traits of their new album.
âOntological Mysterium is partly our love letter to the bombastic spirit of heavy metal from the â80s and early â90s,â says Matt Knox.
âYet, even as it looks back on this legacy, it also gazes ahead to the future â an aural head of Janus encompassing our love of the genre while also forging a new vision for its future,â continues Jamie Knox. âWe set out to expand the technicality from Idol and to continue to challenge ourselves musically while leaning more heavily into the âanthemicâ heavy metal feeling that better permeated some of our pre-Idol material â that larger-than-life vibe that makes all the greats like Judas Priest great. We wanted to make this record more immediately fun. As always, we try to surprise ourselves with new ideas for structures and rhythms so that the material feels fresh. Our sphere of influences is ever expanding as we evolve as music listeners.â
Jamie Knox notes HORRENDOUSâs penchant for spontaneous jams at the start of band practice as the catalyst for several Ontological Mysterium cuts, notably âExeg(en)ensis,â one of their most unpredictable songs to date. âWe just hit record on someoneâs iPhone during the jam and realized that we had âcomposedâ something that felt like a song, but with a very specific, lively energy,â he says. âSomething that still feels like HORRENDOUS, but almost from a different vantage point. We crafted the songâs basic structure from the jamâs ideas, filled in a few gaps, and made an effort to inject some of that spontaneity during the recording process.â
The Ontological Mysterium title translates to the âmystery of being.â HORRENDOUS has previously tackled a wide range of topics dealing with the human psyche and matters of the existential. According to Jamie Knox, HORRENDOUS opted to deal with broad themes of growth and evolution â with a more positive bent.
âThis wasnât something preconceived,â he says. âI think it just reflects what was on our mind over these last hectic years. I wouldnât say the lyrics were a direct reaction to Idol, but I think one could view them as stepping beyond that negativity and moving forward into a different and necessary future â one in which you step up as the protagonist. Perhaps these lyrics do serve as a sequel to some of the Idol material.â
The release of Ontological Mysterium will carry HORRENDOUS into 2024 â the bandâs 15th anniversary. The members of HORRENDOUS have long walked the delicate tightrope between their passion for the band and their responsibilities back home. The period surrounding Idol prompted soul-searching amongst the band (Jamie Knox calls them âcomparatively bleak timesâ), but it appears HORRENDOUS is ready to hit the ground running to support their newest creation.
âAt this point, we want to wave the HORRENDOUS banner high in a way that we perhaps didnât around Idol and continue on this path that weâve forged,â says Jamie Knox. âWe are very proud of Ontological Mysterium and what our band has become â itâs almost like weâve figured out how to make this band work amidst the wildness of adult life. This entity feels worth celebrating and feeding to see where it might take us next.
âWe didnât give Idol its fair due on the road,â he closes. âWe plan to play much more this time around and in new places like Europe. The first round of shows to support the album is in the works now, and more will follow with time. Also, Ontological Mysterium definitely will not be our last album. While it has become more difficult to meet, we have an abundance of new material and ideas and are eager to begin shaping what will ultimately become our sixth album. Iâm sure weâll start the process soon.â
Line-up:
Matthew Knox
Jamie Knox
Damian Herring
Alex Kulick
Links:
https://www.instagram.com/horrendous_official/
http://www.facebook.com/HorrendousDeathMetal
https://horrendous.bandcamp.com/
Recording Studio: Subterranean Watchtower Studio
Mixing + Mastering: Damian Herring
Artwork: Brian Smith
Photos: Scott Kinkade
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