Kill – Horned Holocaust
Sweden
Worship Him Records (LP) / Invictus Productions (CD) / Death Propaganda Records (Cassette)
Gothenburg’s Kill emerged in the late ‘90s as a raw black metal act that quickly cemented a name for themselves within the underground with various demos leading up to their debut album, “Horned Holocaust”. The style employed on this album is very much a product of its time with its demonic vocals, primitive riffs and old-school approach, and yet there is so much charm behind these songs that it is simply hard to resist if you’re a diehard fan of the genre.
With a running time of 29 minutes, the band succeeds in delivering a straightforward, sinister black metal album seething with evil that takes us back in time to the glory days of bands like Darkthrone, Gorgoroth and Bathory, and while those influences are quite evident, there is certainly more to the band’s arsenal than simply “worshipping” their influences.
There is a certain element of chaos emanating from these compositions that is a trademark of the band and inextricably woven into their sound. You can put on any album by Kill and instantly recognize their sound. It’s that simple.
The energetic riffs often emit a sort of “groove” (albeit in the most hellish way imaginable) that brings to mind classic bands like Discharge and Celtic Frost. The whole sound consists of bass, guitar, drums and vocals. It’s a simple approach, but extremely well-executed and effective. The music is far from technically proficient, but when it comes to old-school black metal, the most important aspect is the intensity behind the execution, and in this case, there is no single instrument that stands out more than the other, as the performance is about as flawless as it gets for this style.
The rhythmic interplay of drums, bass and guitars is absolutely excellent and bolstered by the scathing vocals of Carl Warslaughter. Drummer Getaz pounds the kit like a drunken hillbilly beating his mistress on a Saturday night, while guitarist Black Curse metes out some truly disgusting riffs that would make even Jeffrey Dahmer vomit. The bass is audible and has been a staple of their sound since their formation. There are certainly some punk sensibilities interweaved into their sound, whether it was intentional or not, the energetic and simplistic nature of the music draws parallels to hardcore punk.
Every song on this album kills (pun intended), but some personal favorites include “Virgin Sacrificed”, “The Devil” and “Fields of Devastation”, as these tracks give off an eerie atmosphere that elevates them above the other tracks. The band would go on to release more excellent albums, evolving their sound and taking a slightly different approach with each album, but always staying within the framework of their crude sound. (Jim)