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Mhorgl - Heresiarch

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Blackened thrash is the perfect type of metal, for me. Don’t get me wrong, I love the gross anatomical power of gore metal, and the sick spaciness of sludge, but the sweeping, diabolical sound of black thrash is what brought me to metal in the first place. I breathe early Slayer; I drink Bathory, and piss Venom. Which is why, when I first heard “Ravenous Wargod” from Mhorgl’s Heresiarch, I knew I needed to review this Australian trio’s new release. Thankfully, the rest of the album does not disappoint – Heresiarch is a war-born tour de force, merging black metal’s grandeur with thrash’s breakneck technicality to create a satisfying hurricane of sonic evil.

Upon playing opening track “Inheriting the Mantle of Power”, Mhorgl’s similarities to other modern bands – Deströyer 666, Naglfar, Watain – become apparent. The album’s production is crisp and up-front, but retains lushness and depth. Layered guitars range from deep chugging to discordant leads at any given moment. Bands in Mhorgl’s position often bring the drums too far forward to create a warlike atmosphere, but the percussion here blends in well, dictating the music’s pace without overpowering the other instruments.

“Black Wolf Militia” and the aforementioned “Ravenous Wargod” are black thrash at its finest. The former kicks off with a gallop, and brings an upstroke bounce to its chorus that seems written for headbanging. The latter rides on waves of ominous guitar that immediately call to mind the satanic thrash of old; it would border on the derivative if it weren’t so infectious and enthralling. When the hook comes in – “Blood! Blood! Blood! For the ravenous / Blood for the ravenous wargod!” – I find it near-impossible not to punch the air or pound my desk.

But it’s not speed alone that makes Heresiarch an exceptional album. The last four songs on the album are interspersed with short, layered acoustic tracks that ring with both pagan melancholy and modern thrash ax-mastery. A track like “Hostis Humani Generis” remains steely and dark, making the opening of the following “Impiety Storm” that much more powerful. The only argument against these interludes is their number – the album begins with four tracks of solid pitch-black madness, but each traditional metal track afterwards has an acoustic cut before and after it; yet the talent shown on these short breaks justifies their frequency.

One could say I’m biased in Mhorgl’s favor with my intense love of blackened thrash. And obviously, those looking for something slow and doomy won’t find much to enjoy here. But for fans of traditional heavy metal and its more extreme counterparts, Heresiarch provides enough bombast and blood to fill even the deepest chalices. It just goes to show that for all of our talk of Scandinavia, Eastern Europe, and the American South, evil is growing strong down under, too.

— Scab Casserole

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HEAR HERESIARCH

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Mhorgl – “Ophidian Legacy”

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Mhorgl – “Black Wolf Militia”

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BUY HERESIARCH

iTunes (Digital download)

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