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It really has been WAY too long since I cranked some good ol’ raging grim black metal. Lately the only real album of this style that sneaks its way into my cluttered listening time is Emperor’s self-titled/Wrath of the Tyrant split album. After listening to the early days of the now defunct legends, it’s almost chilling to hear to such an impressive demo from a band so close to home, one that could easily lead them to the heights where Ihsahn and the rest once resided.

This cassette can barely contain the massive capacity of Feral Horde’s vision. Despite running at just over 15 minutes, this Ontario black metal band’s demo speaks volumes of what can be achieved within the obvious constraints set before them. Even the live track Sanity’s Mask sounds fantastic on this recording. Holy Vermin is more the raw, relentless fair, while Tool of Damnation adds some melody and slow-downs, comparable to latter day Immortal. Vocals from Ivan Trdina and guitarist Radoslav Rypel come in the form of the expected screeches and rasps that characterize the black metal art-form, plus some really creepy sounding clean vocals and deep growls. I found that sometimes the vocals fade into the background of the mix, but these occurrences are too scattered to have any real impact on the overall experience. The highlight for me is definitely in the guitar department. I was blown away by not only the uniqueness of the riffing, but also their ability to be as relentlessly heavy as they are melodically beautiful. Like indulging in the majesty of a full moon hanging in the clear night sky while having your throat torn to shreds by a rabid wolf…or something like that :)

The old phrase "good things come in small packages" is certainly suitable in summing up Feral Horde’s demo release. I would change "good" to great though. This band is easily worth your time.

Additional Information

To order a copy of Feral Horde’s demo or for other inquiries, email the band at feralhorde@hotmail.com