Milo Lane
Cue Monday! If Mondays make you feel like smashing your face in with a rock, I come bearing a remedy to your ails — something that feels just as intense, but without the medical expenses. Coming from the Emerald Isle, here is Horrenda and its most recent EP, Think On Your Sins.
Short, eerily sweet, and classic in its atmosphere, Think On Your Sins comes across as a homage to everything I consider pure Black Metal to be. When it’s fast, it’s a nerve-shredding cacophony of riffs and drums — loud, chaotic, and relentless. When it calms down, it lays you down and lulls you into an eerie, devilish sleep.
Canto I – Descent grips you from the first note. Each song is a deeper descent into madness. There’s enough melody to keep things satisfying, but it never goes overboard — it stays focused on its thematic expression. The pacing and structure are on point, and every indulgence feels well-timed and deliberate. The synergy between the instruments is like a well-oiled machine, with every cog turning at peak performance.
And while hell most likely isn’t located in Ireland, this record might make you reconsider. Inspired by Dante’s Inferno and the legendary art of Gustave Doré, each track paints a vivid, grim scene straight from the underworld. You can hear it — in the way the guitars screech, the almost hypnotic repetition of the drums, and the tormented expressiveness of the vocals — all forming a single, all-encompassing circle of menace.
The production isn’t clean, and frankly, there’s no need for it to be. That said, I did find myself missing a bit more bass in certain parts, or wishing the drums were more intelligible. Sometimes you drown in a massive wall of sound without being able to tell what’s coming from where. Still, I’m a self-proclaimed toaster-tape enjoyer, and I’d listen to this kind of glorious mess all day, every day.
The way Horrenda dances on the line between poised and filthy is a refreshing addition to the genre. These days, capturing that classic feel is tough — and yet Think On Your Sins pulls it off. There’s very little to criticize here. And if you’ve got the grit to cross through this limbo, you just might understand what I mean.
Label: Fiadh Productions
Release date: 9 May, 2025
Website: https://horrenda.bandcamp.com/album/think-on-your-sins
Country: Ireland
Score: Help me convince Milo to use the score system!
Metal Eclipse Reviews 