Wednesday 25 December 2013

Horde – Hellig Usvart (1994)


Country: Australia

Tracklist
1. A Church Bell Tolls Amidst the Frozen Nordic Winds 01:02
2. Blasphemous Abomination of the Satanic Pentagram 00:47
3. Behold, the Rising of the Scarlet Moon 03:22
4. Thine Hour Hast Come 04:06
5. Release and Clothe the Virgin Sacrifice 05:38
6. Drink From the Chalice of Blood 03:59
7. Silence the Blasphemous Chanting 05:37
8. Invert the Inverted Cross 03:10
9. An Abandoned Grave Bathes Softly in the Falling Moonlight 05:10
10. Crush the Bloodied Horns of the Goat 02:24
11. Weak, Feeble, Dying, Antichrist 03:33
12. The Day of Total Armageddon Holocaust 01:42

Horde (originally called Beheadoth) was an unblack metal project of Australian musician Jayson Sherlock 
(aka "Anonymous", a possible play on "Euronymous" Mayhem guitarist), formerly of Mortification and Paramaecium
In 1994 the band's only album with the Norwegian title Hellig Usvart ("Holy Unblack"), 
a fact which led many to believe that Horde originated from Norway, was released on Nuclear Blast
Hellig Usvart proved to be a seminal release for the unblack metal movement, 
and the album was highly controversial in the secular black metal scene at the time it was released.
Upon the initial release of Hellig Usvart, a publicity campaign was launched throughout the black metal community, revolving around Sherlock being credited as "Anonymous". 
Unsuccessful death-threats were given to Markus Staiger at Nuclear Blast to reveal the identity of the anonymous musician who had created the album, although the identity of the musician was later revealed as Jayson Sherlock
Horde as an entity also received death threats for being a Christian band playing black metal.
Hellig Usvart pioneered the previously unheard of genre of "unblack metal" 
(sometimes referred to as "Holy UnBlack Metal").
The album is satirical of the satanic black metal scene in that it twists common black metal phrases into a Christian ideal. The message of the album is generally the destruction and rejection of Satan, in favour of God. 
There is also direct and indirect praise of God throughout the record.
With a session line-up, Horde played live-shows in 2006, Norway, and in 2010 in Finland and Germany 
with help from three members of the Christian unblack metal band Drottnar.
 Recommended track listening: Thine Hour Hast Come.

Memory

10 comments:

  1. worst christian music ever...hehe,OK. Not the worst christian music, but still uncompared to 16horsepower or woven hand....A suitable pick for the birthday of jesus!

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  2. This guy was troll before trolls!Apart from him(i don't really like his music basically),i used to believe that black metal should be satanic/evil music, and i stil do:however,today we have bands like Alcest or Deafheaven who take black metal riffs, blastbeats and vocals and try to dress them with positive, bright and cathartic aesthetics/messages and i'm thinking that in the end i have no problem with that(even if i can't relate 100% to them).At least they try to create something different instead of ripping off the forefathers of the genre like many others do.Opposition is true friendship(W.Blake), right?

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  3. haha, a troll before trolls...that's a good one!...I also myself don't have a problem with unusual combinations like black metal and positive messages, provided that there is an overall quality concept and the different elements are mixed in harmony....Right now I can only think of a negative example about it, the horrible track in the last Satyricon album where the voice of Sivert Hoyem(ex Madrugada singer) completely ruins the typical satyricon riffs....

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  4. The album gives me the impression that this guy wasn't trying to mock a music genre, on the contrary i think that it takes itself more seriously than many thinks.For me musically is a great release and i believe that if it had the typical lyrical content of a black metal album (misanthropy,satanism,paganism,whatever you like..) we would be talking today for a classic black metal release of the 90's that it would have nothing to be jealous of the same style one-man bands.As for the lyrical content back in '94 praising god through black metal wasn't something that would have gone unnoticed!Of course nowadays everything has changed, musically and lyrically.But i am still wandering if all this are necessary for the genre's progress or are some futile attempts before it's inevitable death rattle...

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    Replies
    1. Well i don't think that bands like Alcest or Deafheaven will kill black metal, it's jus another variety of the subgenre.Black metal is going strong still, with bands like Negative Plane and Rhinocervs(and Svn Okklt bands in general).This music(black metal) is very special for the human psyche, and i highly doubt it will cease to exist.Perhaps it will mutate to something else sonically, but the essence(audio violence, lyrics about Occult and dark feelings)will remain.After all, life is getting harder and harder in the western world, isn't it?

      @Satan_My_Lord Actually, i think the whole Satyricon album is pretty horrible :-p

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    2. Again one ("elitist"?) could say that the true essence of black metal (something that was maybe more important than the music itself and also was the fuel that drove it) is long dead now and that the transformation that you are referring to has already began...

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    3. Perhaps these elitists are getting old :-p After all, most people believe the best music they've ever heard is (''coincidentally'') the one they heard while they were 16-20 years old..however,to give these people a credit, undoubtebly the golden era of black metal was the 90's, that's true.But on the other hand, and since we are talking about essence, Deathspell Omega(a 00's band!) maximized ALL of Euronymous teachings/dogmas about what is(and what should be)black metal..so, to sum it up, we respect the past but we cannot stay there forever.

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    4. You said it all my friend and i couldn't agree more with your thoughts.
      \m/

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  5. Sweet Jesus I almost grabbed this without noticing that it was....gulp...Unblack Metal. What a ridiculously asinine idea that could only come from theists.

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