"Ontological Mysterium" by Horrendous | ALBUM REVIEW

[@easybakec0ven]

They put their whole Horrendussy into this one

[@themetalmeltdownofficial]

💀

[@codybeinert1109]

Best comment

[@MetalTrenches]

Great album. Loved Idol, but this is like an entirely different level for them.

[@Faustustopheles]

were you at the live listening last night on Bandcamp? it was so awesome. I love Idol and am so happy to have the vinyl in my collection and now I can't wait for this new one to arrive.

[@mindful2864]

Horrendous is one of my absolute favorite modern death metal bands and Idol was one of my favorite albums of 2018. I can’t wait to give this one a listen.

[@bobilly]

Easily my favorite Horrendous record, it's on another level. And I didn't know Outer Heaven dropped a new record! Thanks for the heads up 🤟

[@jc319ad]

I like Idol better too, this album has some real good songs, Horrendous and Contrarian would be the most ideal prog death tour for 2024

[@codybeinert1109]

Yeah this record's great. Progressive death metal is honestly maybe my favorite kind of modern prog for me ATM, and this album really delivers the goods. Great riffs, great variety, great production, just all around great record. Looking forward to (maybe) reviewing it myself :)

[@sirspookybones1118]

I listened to a few minutes of this album and thought it was pretty cool from that bit alone. Going to finish it now and buy the vinyl later.

[@wheelsofmercury]

I heard this thing twice; once on KZbin via their label's channel and again on a free Bandcamp listening party hosted by the dudes themselves, and I think this might be my death metal AOTY after only two spins... and this is coming from me, a black metal nerd! I love how the drums actually sound like drums and aren't air-brushed and sealed tight to "perfection" (looking at YOU, Lorna Shore!).

[@wheelsofmercury]

@@mindful2864 Nope. Fuck them! 🖕I listen to Grenadier and Bogside Sniper Squadron instead. (Unless there's a lengthy instrumental track involved with those insane riffs...)

[@powerofthenight4852]

​@@mindful2864The latest Grand Belial's Key record was great, so I am very excited for a new Argho album

[@wheelsofmercury]

@@powerofthenight4852 To each their own. 🤷‍♂ I like a band called Gideon's Horn that are like GBK but not racist and WAAAAAAAY better... oh, and as an additional "fuck you" to them, they sing in Yiddish.

[@wheelsofmercury]

@@mindful2864 He is; I will give him that.

[@TheNightmareRider]

Acoustic Guitars? In MY Death Metal record? It's more likely than you think! (I have a feeling this week is going to rule for new releases.)

[@UrbanAnimism]

Awesome review! Horrendous is such an amazing band, all their albums are at least a 4/5 for me. It'd be great if you do a whole discography review!

[@crunchysoupp]

You're one of the reasons I love metal again, love u dude.

[@themetalmeltdownofficial]

Love you too bud, cheers 🍺🍺🍺

[@Akshay-ji9nt]

Got into this band this year. Through Idol (2018 i believe) from a fantano review believe it or not. Now this, oh my god this year keep on giving.

[@alex_flamer]

Lol very rare to see him give a metal album a 9/10. Usually it's to a hip-hop or an experimental pop record.

[@Akshay-ji9nt]

@@alex_flamer yes

[@AgainstTheeWickedlyMusic]

I'm really excited to check out this album, recent material from Nuclear Power Trio and Vildhjarta has rekindled my interest in the progressive side of things. Side story, I saw this band at an event called "Into the Darkness Fest" last year, my main draw being that Imperial Triumphant was headlining it, but my partner and I got to watch these guys basically a couple feet from the stage, and they were amazing, we both walked away as big fans, equally as impressed with Horrrendous as we were with IT

[@alex_flamer]

Into the Darkness looked really sick. Both bands also played Subterranean Dissonance Festival in Philly earlier this year along with Pyrrhon and Liturgy. Sidenote: I love seeing the emergence of these niche extreme metal festivals like this, Into the Darkness,Death Nexus, and a few others.

[@AgainstTheeWickedlyMusic]

@alex_flamer267 it was so awesome! We were on vacation, and it just happened that Youngstown, Ohio was directly on our path home, so we stopped for it. That festival sounds awesome, too, I completely agree with you!

[@alex_flamer]

My album of the year so far regardless of genre! Plus, I know the guys since they're from Philadelphia, PA, my hometown. Hung out with them at shows, saw them live several times, and they told me this record has been finished since 2021.

[@themetalmeltdownofficial]

Huh, I guess they figured they'd wait to release the album until they could it support properly on tour then.

[@alex_flamer]

​@@themetalmeltdownofficialnot really. They told me Season of Mist was really backed up on their album release schedule during the pandemic, even in late 2021 when shows were starting to happen again. They also don't really tour that often. When I saw them in 2021, 2022, and 2023, they were all one off shows. And all three times, they played Cult of Shad'ooh. Goes to show how long the album has been finished. Even their guitarist Matt Knox told me he forgot how to play some of the other songs.

[@alex_flamer]

They just wrapped up a tour of the southwestern US, but that was actually the first full tour they did in 5 years. Even without the pandemic, they generally don't tour that often. They mostly play a few select shows in the regions between Boston and Washington DC, including Philly shows.

[@joshjohnson1699]

I don't know how I'd missed these guys before, but they're awesome! Now I'm stoked to hear the new one, after only listening to their stuff for the last few hours.

[@andrewbellavie795]

Enjoy Horrendous but really prefer their first 3 albums; obviously just stoked that they have another album to enjoy

[@DashieNegan41]

I just heard it on season of Mist channel another amazing release from the band yet again 4.5/5 Also you look like Ozzy Osborne when he had his haircut

[@themetalmeltdownofficial]

not something I expected to hear but I won't object lmao

[@DashieNegan41]

@@themetalmeltdownofficial you look great anyway 🤘

[@Maxcalavera666]

Gran álbum de horrendous y gran canal, nuevo suscriptor,, saludos desde chile metal 999

[@greendemon5862]

I was a total stranger to this band being more on the black and doom side of things but holy hell, if this doesn't turn out to be my favourite death metal release of the year I'm going to be very surprised. Off to check out their past releases as well.

[@Oldy-Sepulchre]

Well I didn't expect there to be a riff on here, reminiscent of Jump by Van Halen, and it to work so awesomely haha

[@NorthWoodsWalks]

well, I'm hooked by the description alone!

[@joemajor2553]

I am beyond excited for this. Idol is one of those rare records that I continuously listen to.

[@alex_flamer]

I love it too! It's the perfect length at exactly 40 mins and it goes by very fast. And the amazing playing, production, songwriting, and compositions are all there!

[@Antifascista89]

this work is a true contender for AOTY

[@spooty75]

Been highly anticipating this based on the singles they released so far! I thought Idol was just fantastic. Would really love to see these guys play live some day!

[@adrianfong5783]

I didn’t really like idol but when I heard them drop “cult of shaa’doah” I was instantly hooked and I had to go through their entire catalog to get the same high I got listening to that song lmao

[@leonardolaleonardo4924]

honestly, i feel these guys have just found their place kinda like hooded menace...

[@MisterBrimm]

I'm picking this up on vinyl tomorrow!

[@TBaggins96]

Horrendous evoking Vektor? I cannot wait to hear what this sounds like.

[@milesmccollough5507]

BANGER BANGER UNMITIGATED FUCKING *BANGER.* horrendous is potentially the current pinnacle of "traditional" (do they count as that anymore?) death metal (do they count as THAT anymore??? it almost seems a disservice to lock them to a genre label) to the point that even non-metalhead friends of mine vibe to this record. the band's talent for crafting rising tension, bringing it higher and higher up to what you THINK is the climax of the song until the riff changes and it starts climbing HIGHER AND HIGHER and you think "man, it can't POSSIBLY get any more awesome" and it keeps fucking going!!! easy 10/10 record for me. holy hell. the drumming in particular leveled up CRAZY hard over idol and anareta.

[@evilone1079]

Definitely AOTY material, an awesome listen from start to finish! Love it!

[@alexddragame]

Awesome album, Horrendous never disappoints

[@MrLando0]

‘Silver’ medal, pun intended? This record slaps!

[@erikknouse1195]

Probably my Album of the Year

[@Nerdycottoncandy]

One of the few bands who were limited by The old school death metal.... And then they Went progressive on Idol And it Is still the best...this one is cool too...

[@blackwaterrust476]

Definitely one of the best modern death metal bands if not flat out the best. I missed the the hype train of them especially in 2018, didn’t actually check out and become a huge fan of theirs until the pandemic happened. Idol is a masterpiece easy top 10 modern death metal album for me if not top 5. I don’t think it quite tops Idol (then again I think that album is a 5/5) but this is an amazing follow up, and is easily AOTY material for me 4.5/5 as well

[@sasakanjuh7660]

To be honest, Idol really didn't grab me despite multiple listens and all my efforts to see some deeper appeal, given how much it was hyped.. Not saying it's a bad record, ofc, it simply wasn't my cup of tea.. But to my surprise, as soon as I saw they released a new single, I had to check it immediately, and I was really happy with what I heard, so I've been super stoked to hear the whole album ever since! :) Now I just wait for Earthside to release their album, that piece of art is shaping up to be serious contender for AOTY :)

[@codybeinert1109]

Also pumped AF for Earthside

[@MetalNeverDieswithMarkA]

Cool. Liked the singles

[@bangfury]

Yep love at fist listen.

[@Dan-ji4db]

I think OM is far and away better than idol and thats not recency bias talking. Its just a more diverse and interesting record imo.

[@MrRoundthetwist]

Great review! I’ve preordered this album on iTunes Been rocking the 3 released tracks for over a week now.. super pumped for full album tomorrow! 🤘🏼🤘🏼

[@themetalmeltdownofficial]

You can jam it now on the Season Of Mist KZbin page bud, go check it out

[@voxextremos22]

Only thing I didn’t like was the production. For Progressive death Metal the production needs to be cleaner. As a drummer the drums sounded buried and the snare sounded flat

[@LoyaltotheNightsky]

That would take too much of the edge off I think.

[@hericiumcoralloides5025]

I am actually shocked at how much I hate this. I really enjoyed their last album too. This one just feels so unfocused and corny. I'm getting big bullshit jam band vibes all throughout. Meh, can't please everyone. Still good musicians.

[@masonstorm5639]

Yessir ...love that suffocation shirt 😁