Ozymandias and Acolytes are two of the finest examples of death metal. Ever. From Nihilism to Solipsism, Anareta covers considerable philosophical ground, but Ozymandias (of the eponymous poem by Percy Bysshe Shelly) brings us to consider the futility of endeavour itself in a universe that is essentially an ever shifting desert of particles that will surely eventually bury everything that is created. But does that mean we should not create? Then how would we get sweet albums like Anareta? (My money is behind continuing to make more sweet death and Back To The Future hover boards) Ozymandias rips the mask off the person who knows the answer to this essential problem of humanity, and leaves a tear in the eye of those that listen to the sweet tragedy of the reveal (It is as emotive in kind as Claude Debussy's Clair De Lune I dare you to deny it).

Straight after Ozy is what I am assuming is Horrendous's apology for bringing us to such an emotional cliff-edge in Ozy, Sideria, the instrumental jam of jams. Polaris brings us back to screaming death with meaty riffs and breakneck break downs, but Acolytes towers over every other track and dominates the ears for 5 and a half monstrous minutes of the brawny tumultuous death, bringing us to our knees before rewarding those who survive with...what one could only describe as a burning dawn at 6:06. I showed this song to my mother of 58, a teacher of the deaf and yoga. She thoroughly enjoyed it. Acolytes is death that transcends.

Sum of All Failures is a gently introduced track but don't let that fool you, it has some more beefy riffs that we have missed since Polaris and Ecdysis, with Still Born Gods an excellent show of roaring vocals.

In total, this album is a masterpiece with perfect production. Considerable dynamic range, plenty of room for those booming toms and delicious cymbals, some of the best recorded and mastered percussion in the genre to date. Bravo Horrendous, Bravo. ... See More

This album is unbelievably good. Powerful nod-your-head riffs in Pavor Nocturnus, Monarch, and Heaven's Deceit, to the powerful epitome of a hard day's work done, Titan, clipping the album off with beautiful lyrics about the sweet release of deathly slumber. Ecdysis literally means the shedding of the skin of a snake, and this is exactly what geniuses Horrendous have done. Their previous studio album, The Chills, was a great piece of death metal with excellent song writing, but no consideration for dynamic range in the production creating a sound we have all heard before and our ears grow tired of. Ecdysis had a booming kick drum and soaring operatic backing vocals that could not achieve the emotional power that they do without the production space created by the 9 and 10db dynamic range this album clocks in at!

An absolute triumph in song writing, mixing, mastering and death metal. A booming grind, with energetic bursts of fire spitting throughout the meatier riffage, and some of the best lead guitar work I've heard in a while.

Not to mention the delicious The Vermillion, with layer upon layer of silky acoustic guitar...

Buy this album. ... See More