Demo 2013

Nothing new … nothing new … nothing new … indeed, there is nothing new to be found here. Nothing new, not even an ounce. Sadly, the production – which is actually well done and able to support the facets of the music appropriately – is not able to compensate this in any kind of way. The band does not fail in terms of the b-score, because they find it difficult to deal with the “a” one already. A strange brew can be discovered on this demo, whose contents fail to quench the thirst.

The main point of criticism is the apparent lack of new facets, interpretation or whatever to make the band stand out from other ones. With a clear focus on the vocals – obvious reference: Arch Enemy – the instruments are reduced to adding heaviness but without providing something meaningful or interesting. They set the beat, but due to the fragmented style of the riffs, their sound and the arrangements remain hollow, without some kind of bite. Somehow their sole point is their existence but nothing more. Aside from this, the demo comes over as too much on the save side of the shore. No daringness, no experimentation or the sort. “Abaddon (Angel of the Abyss)” has some nice moments, but these are too few in order to leave much of an impression.

The demo should be seen as it is. One first attempt to create some metal music … and nothing more. With an apparent lack of identity, Hörnery – what? – finds it considerably difficult to shine in the crowded sea of today's metal scene. The label of the band might point towards the thrash metal scene, but from a broader perspective this is far from the truth. Slow passages make up a good deal of this output and it is therefore of small surprise to see the band drop the tempo again and again in favour of some supposed atmospheric passages. Sadly, these tend to drag on for a good amount of time and quite unable to leave a positive impression. A brew of death, black, doom and thrash metal … a bit of everything and a bit of nothing. A first step for this band … and that is it.