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Finland's Horna has been around for 20+ years and put out a myriad of releases over that span. Hengen Tulet is their 9th full-length and hearkens back to the first wave of Black Metal when the Punk-infused Thrash of Venom was segueing to the raw yet catchy blasphemies of early Bathory. The guitars are playing riffs more than tremolo picking and there are plenty of hooks, so it doesn't sound like just a bunch of noise. The drumming ranges from slow and steady to inhumanly fast (and sometimes sounding like the tempo is fluctuating) and the vocals make me think more of a Black/Death mix than pure Black rasps. They have a throaty, growling quality that works well and enhances the atmosphere of evil. I love the creepy keyboards at the beginning of "Puhdas" and the drums and screechy vocals at the beginning of "Hurmos" which brought to mind Venom's "Manitou."

Hengen Tulet is a solid album of diverse Black Metal with just the right combination of raw and melodic elements and just a touch of Death Metal.