REVIEW: Horrifier - Howl From The Grave
Ever hear some scary sounding shit emanating from a graveyard? A ghoul, wailing in the night. A rigor-mortis stricken body crackling and popping in agony? Chances are what you heard was Norway's 'Horrifier" and their 2022 demo "Howl From The Grave". I had absolutely no idea how to start this little review, but I'm sticking with that.
I came across Horrifier one day on Bandcamp, while bored at my shitty day job. As this was one of the very first things I released, I wanted to find something with an old school death metal vibe. OSDM was what turned me into the metal obsessed bum I am today, so I wanted to have it represented on the label immediately; Enter, HORRIFIER. The logo, the art, the location. It checked the all the boxes.
Immediately upon pressing play on the 1st track, which is also the title track - I was in. It opens with a solid doomy riff of death that is reminiscent of the excellent Autopsy, and it almosts cradles you while it prepares you for the rest of the track. It quickly picks up to a two step beat, which got me amped - and by the time the next riff comes with some old school blast beats, I was hooked. The rest of the track stays true to the classic 80's death metal sound, really keeping with that Autopsy vibe, these dudes are riff masters. This track is particularly great because I think it highlights everything the band is about to beat you down with on the rest of the album - catchy riffs, absolutely RIPPING solos, blast beats, grooves and more... All decorated with some awesome, agonizing sounding vocals. This track really does paint you a picture, and sets a great atmosphere.
After a great setup, we come to a short, sharp 1:32 attack called Brain Dead - you will bang your goddamn head from start to finish on this one. What's really fun about this track, is I started realizing these songs are now becoming ode's and shoutouts to horror movies - some of my favorites. After Brain Dead we get "Kandarian Rites", a clear shout to one of my favorite movies of all goddamn time: THE EVIL DEAD. It was here I knew I had to sign these guys. By this time on the record, you're fully immersed. More chunky riffs, more awesome grooves, and some more really great vocals that'll have you screaming along to "DEAD BY DAWN".
The album closes with another reference to another killer horror flick: HELLRAISER. 'Hooks in Flesh' is a great finisher. Starting off with a heavy ass riff sure to get you bobbing, this track is fun because, like the rest of the album, Adrian's vocals are very clear, and enunciated, allowing you to clearly hear the shout to ole Hellraiser himself: "You opened the box, and so it came. With pain and pleasure, it's all the same.". This song seems to tell the story of the famous scene of - you guessed it - the hooks tearing Frank Cotton apart in the movie. One more excellent highlight for me on this are TWO solos. The first being very creepy and slowly crawling, getting under your skin and raising the hair on your arms; this is followed by another absolute shredder.
Horrifier are a fun band, and a young band who are going to be really fun to watch grow. These dudes have a bright future for sure.. Since this release only a couple years ago, they've gone on to release an absolutely killer full length album called "Horrid Resurrection" on Personal Records. Be sure to check that out.
The Horrifier 'Howl From the Grave' demo is available right here and limited to 100 copies on casseette through The Haul of Horror.