Horna – Envaatnags Eflos Solf Esgantaavne
The End Records / Woodcut Records – cut4036 – August 9th, 2005
By Jason Jordan
I cannot believe that
Horna formed in 1993. Following meditations upon
Envaatnags Eflos Solf Esgantaavne (don’t even
think of trying to pronounce it), it seems like these black metallers have only been an entity since, say, 2003 because their music is distinctly juvenile. Unsurprisingly, more than a handful of passages, found on the group’s fifth full-length, are examples of second-rate, watered-down BM.
The highlights – of
Envaatnags Eflos Solf Esgantaavne – are easy enough to pin down though. To begin, Corvus’s (
Korgonthurus) scintillating shrieks are wasted by being plastered over such drab compositions, but there aren’t any glaring missteps as far as instrumentation goes, though the songwriting is definitely not at peak health. For instance, the opening “Vihan Tie” isn’t the least bit interesting until the 5:00 minute mark when a bloodthirsty riff decides to tip the quality scale in the opposite direction. But,
Horna continue to bore the listener due their insistence on writhing in mediocrity. Even more upbeat tracks such as “Vala Pedolle” and “Kirous ja Malja” are devoid of the things that, at times, make BM so integral to a person like myself. Also worth mentioning is the disc’s length, which unfortunately has its sights resting on fifty minutes. In the end,
Envaatnags Eflos Solf Esgantaavne just doesn’t measure up to the tastiest efforts grown by the finest of black metallers.
In short, this LP won’t be inducted into the prized annals of black metal. But, on the plus side, Finland does have superior groups and the BM scene continues to chug along at a comfortable rate, so one needn’t lament over
Horna’s inadequacy.
6/10
Official Horna Website
Official The End Records Website
Official Woodcut Records Website
