Horde
Hellig Usvart

The world is crazy, but we already knew that. Post-modernity has abolished pure concepts in art and celebrated hybridization. But we knew this too.

What we would never have expected, at least in the '90s, was to come across a band of furious and angry Black Metal with the habit of proposing clearly Christian and anti-Satanist messages. Initially, it was thought to be a prank organized by some joker or, in the worst case, the creation of some schizophrenic.

Black Metal, and today even stones know this, was born as THE demonic genre par excellence within the whole of Heavy Metal. From the forerunners Venom, Celtic Frost, and Bathory, to Scandinavian champions like Mayhem and Darkthrone.

Someone, however, intended to play that music but expose a message diametrically opposed to that of a Euronymous or en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horde_(band) of a Burzum. I learned only a few years ago about the existence of Antestor: the first "Black Metal" band close to Christianity. But in 1996 no one knew anything about it.

This record, which I finally had the opportunity to listen to in full, is a real kick in the balls. Murderous speed, deadly blast beats, infernal screams (despite the aforementioned anti-Satanic belief) and a chill that only the masters Darkthrone have managed to generate. Darkthrone, of course, are the primary source of inspiration for the mysterious Horde. "Hellig Usvart" is influenced by the fury and harrowing melancholy of works such as "A Blaze in The Northern Sky" and "Transilvanian Hunger". Add to all this some references to Brutal and Grindcore.

Blind and ruthless violence. Not very original and not even innovative.

It was discovered, over the years, that "Anonymous" (leader and the only stable member of the formation) was a Christian metal musician, Australian and active with both the prolific Mortification and the doomster Paramecium.

Do you want to know the titles of some Christian Black Metal tracks? Here you go: "Invert the Inverted Cross" (laughter!), "Silence the Blasphemous Chanting" or "Weak, Feeble and Dying Anti-Christ". I repeat: nothing innovative or extraordinary. Certainly, this little disc gained followers and today, as you may already know, Lord-blessed Black Metal is a reality in constant growth.

Curious and certainly a forerunner of an entire genre.