Sloth Herder/Horde Of The Eclipse/Unholy Anarchy Records/2014 Split CD Review

  This  is  a  review  of  a  split  album  between  Maryland's  Sloth  Herder  and  Pennsylvania's  Horde  of  The  Eclipse  which  was  released  by  Unholy  Anarchy  in  2014  and  we  will  start  of  the  review  with  Sloth  herder  a  band  that  plays  a  mixture  of  black  metal,  sludge,  and  grindcore.

  Their  side  of  the  split  starts  out  with  a  very  dark  sounding  black  metal  guitar  riff  along  with  some  grim  screams  a  few  seconds  later  which  also  leads  to  the  band  adding  in  elements  of  crust,  sludge  and  post  hardcore  while  also  keeping  around  the  black  metal  influence  and  after  awhile  the  band  starts  bringing  in  a good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.

  All  of  the  musical  instruments  on  their  side  of  the  recording  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  on  the  later  tracks  the  music  gets  more  grindcore  influenced  and  also  starts  incorporating  brutal  sounding  blast  beats  while  they  also  keep  around  elements  of  sludge,  doom  and  black  metal  which  also  adds  more  diversity  to  their  sound.

  Just  like  with  their  previous  releases  Sloth  Herder  continue  their  grindcore  influenced  black/sludge  metal  sound  and  they  also  have  more  of  a  darker  approach  this  time  around,  the  production  sounds  very  dark  and  raw  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  and  hateful  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Sloth  herder  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  black  metal,  doom,  sludge,  and  grind,  you  should  check  out  their  side  of  the  split.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Rosicrux"  and  "Acts  Of  Savagery".

 https://unholyanarchyrecords.bandcamp.com/album/sloth-herder-horde-of-the-eclipse-split

  Next  up  is  Horde  of  the  Eclipse  a  band  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  very  raw  and  melodic  form  of  black  metal.

  A  very  dark,  distorted  and  atmospheric  drone  sound  starts  off  their  side  of  the  split  and  after  a  minute  acoustic  guitars  are  added  into  the  music  which  leads  up  to  a  very  fast,  raw  and  heavy  black  metal  sound  that  also  bring s in  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  before  slowing  down  and  adding  in  some  melodies.

  There  is  a  good  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  in  the  songs  along  with  a  very  powerful  bass  guitar  sound  and  when  vocals  are  added  into  the  music  they  are  mostly  high  pitched  black  metal  screams  while  a  small  amount  of  death  metal  growls  are  used  at  times  and  the  solos  and  leads  the  band  uses  add  even  more  to  the  melodic  side  of  their  black  metal  sound  and  they  also  keep  around  the  acoustic  guitars  from  the  intro  and  add  them  in  their  songs  fro  a  few  seconds  and  on  the  last  track  the  band  adds  elements  of  thrash  into  their  musical  sound.

 Hordes  Of  The  Eclipse  remain  true  to  their  raw  and  melodic  approach  to  black  metal  bringing  in  a  very  heavy  sound  that  also  uses  a  death  of  metal  and  they  also  have  the  best  music  on  the  split,  the  production  sound s very  heavy  and  powerful  while  the  lyrics  cover  darkness  and  occultism  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Horde  Of  The  Eclipse  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  band,  you  should  check  out  their  side  of  the  split.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "Unleashing  Pariah".

  In  conclusion  i  feel  this  is  a  very  great  sounding  split  and  I  would  recommend  it  to  the  more  open  minded  fans  of  black  metal.  8  out  of  10.           

Horde Of The Eclipse Interview

Max Vocals/guitar

 1. Can you tell us a little bit about the band for those that have never heard of you before?
1. We formed at the dawn of 2009 in a small town in Pennsylvania, just outside the state's capital. After a failed prior project between three of our then members, they felt a new path was to be explored, thus Horde was born.

2. How would you describe your musical sound?
2. Melancholic, contemplative black metal with a wide spectrum of influence. Sometimes for sake of ease we avoid the black metal tag, but it is what most refer to us as. Thankfully we have had people who admittedly detest black metal tell us how much they enjoy our music, so that is a great achievement in itself to us.

3. What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?
3. Most of our lyrics represent the struggle of personal evolution (not the genetic sort) and ascension to your higher self. "Essence" deals with observations of man as a whole, and the upcoming release leans more on personal ways of coping/ascending.

4. What is the meaning and inspiration behind the bands name?
4. The name is derived from Emperor lyrics, from a song and album that is a defining influence on us (especially in those early days.) I can not speak for everyone, but the moon itself has a substantial influence on myself, so the name does hold a great deal of symbolism when I find myself descending into the infinity of thoughts.

5. What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and how would you describe your stage performance?

5. Opening up for Black Dahlia Murder at a Lancaster club in a room with three stories of (~400) people watching us from every angle was quite an experience. The show was very well received. We were the only local opener for the tour package and a lot of people seemed to appreciate our performance that night. Cannabis Corpse was also on the tour but got held up between the last show and ours so they didn't show up until later and missed their chance to play. Which was cool, because a friend who had access to a vacant radio station organized a DIY show for them to play at midnight. There were about 100 of us in this packed tiny room having the best night of our lives. A music video was made for "Gateways to Inhalation" by that friend and has been circulating nicely.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gbSAXwShd1Y

6. Do you have any touring or show plans for the future?

6. As many shows as we can get, no plans for touring yet.

7. Currently, you are unsigned have you received any label interest or are you looking for a label?

7. Our next release will be under HPGD Productions out of Philadelphia. Semi-local, and the man behind the label has been interested in us for a while so we are quite excited. Our drummer plays in another band called The Beyond who have just released their debut album, Frostbitepanzerfuck, on the label. It is getting great exposure, so we are indeed very excited for what the future holds! The man behind the label (Mike) truly cares about the music he distributes. It is very nice to know there are still people like that out there. People like that are what helps bands in this materialistic age endure the bullshit and be themselves.

8. On  a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of black and extreme metal?

8. Positive, for the most part. We have some friends in Germany (Hallig), and Canada (Catuvolcus) who have said beyond nice things about our music. Both bands are extremely melodic, but do not sacrifice aggression. An all too rare combination of traits in the watered down, weak, mainstream metal market of today. We were played on an online radio station based in Belgium called Kicks Extreme Radio. That was an honour, as we've never had communication with the man behind it before. The music is out there and slowly people are finding it. The internet is one of the greatest things that could have happened to music. It's scope is so wide, and it could even potentially end the music business for good if people will one day hopefully let it. We have received a lot more exposure here in America, and have made some great friends in other bands. I fear I may forget some if I start listing them, so I encourage everyone to go to our facebook page and scroll through the "likes" to hear the quality bands we frequent venues with. Some truly unique projects come out of Pennsylvania and the bordering states.

9. Are there any other musical projects besides this band or is this a full time line up?

9. This band is certainly full time, but as it stands now Lucas also plays in The Beyond who are currently on hiatus. I have played in a number of other projects, none of which have got to the point of recording anything aside from rehearsals yet. Soon enough...

10. What direction do you see your music heading into on future releases?

10. Whichever directions we feel are the honest ones to take.

11. What are some bands or musical styles that have influenced your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?

11. Some profound influences on most of us include Emperor, Dissection, and Wolves in the Throne Room most prominently in the past four years. Lately our influence has taken a more aggressive turn, most notably some Sepultura influence with riffs that could have been written in 1987. We are also using actual guitar solos much more frequently than we have in the past. We all listen to various things from all ends of the spectrum. Subtle influence can come from the weirdest of places. We are not all here to speak on what we are listening to nowadays, but great things are happening under the radar in most genres these days. I will let you know however, as I write this I am listening to a hero of mine. Max Richter. The man's music pierces me.

12. Outside of music what are some of your interests?

12. Transcendence.

13. Any final words or thoughts before we wrap up this interview?

13. Ein herzliches Dankeschön.

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Horde Of The Eclipse/Essence/2012 EP Review

  Horde  Of  The  Eclipse  are  a  band  from  Pennsylvania  that  plays  a  very  melodic,  raw  and  primitive  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2012  ep  "Essence".

  Drums  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  drumming  with  some  blast  beats  being  utilized,  while  the  bass  playing  has  a  very  strong  and  powerful  sound  with  heavy  riffing  that  dominates  throughout the  recording.

  Rhythm  guitars  range  from  slow,  mid  paced  to  fast  melodic  black  metal  riffs  that  utilize  some  raw  and  primitive  sounding  elements  as  well  as  death  metal  influences  in  the  riffing  as  well  as  a  brief  use  of  clean  playing  and  there  are  no  guitar  solos  or  leads  present  on  this  recording,  as  for  the  acoustic  guitars  when  they  are  utilized  they  use  finger  picking  and  full  chords  to  bring  a  folk  sound  to  the  recording.

  Vocals  range  from  high  pitched  black  metal  screams  to  deep  death  metal  growls,  while  the  lyrics  cover  darkness  and nature  themes,  as  for  the  production  it  has  a  very  heavy,  powerful,  raw  and  primitive  sound  where  you  can  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  this  recording  with  the  songs  being  long  and  epic  in  length.

  In  my  opinion  Horde  Of  The  Eclipse  are  a  very  great  sounding  melodic  black  metal  band  with  death  metal  elements  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "Dark Celestial Gate".  RECOMMENDED  BUY.

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