Ancient Satanic Rituals Are Crushed in Dust

Originally, I felt that Hortor`s second full length was a well-done album, but now I`m not so sure - it seems that over time, it has ultimately ended up feeling a little tired.

Eschewing all the keyboards of past releases, Hortor has decided to go with a relatively more accessible sound. Whereas earlier discs had a sound far more in line with early Cradle of Filth and Emperor, this album is much more influenced by death metal. This, in fact, is partly the problem - the death metal-ish riffing just completely lacks any atmosphere to it. Sure, it`s skillful guitar playing, and that`s fine, but with black metal, I want something more inherently atmospheric.

The disc lacks variety in a big way. Most of the tracks end up sounding very similar, doing their thing in a very utilitarian way before abruptly ending. Adunamy`s (also of Beeroth) beautiful and haunting vocals are largely gone as well, only popping up on occasion. Azmaveth`s vocals are muc more accessible here than on the first Hortor full-length, where he literally shrieks his lungs clean out, or on any Beeroth material, and this definitely doesn`t do the band any favors. It`s not that the vocals, the guitars, or anything is particularly bad per se, but it`s lacking and ends up feeling mediocre.

A good point, however, is the band`s new use of acoustic classical guitar bits throughout the album - the final track is completely an instrumental acoustic one, and ends up feeling very haunting. But these exotic flourishes of guitar can`t end up saving what is otherwise a decent album but nothing to write home about.