Britains’ Horrified have returned with renewed vigor for their second album Of Despair. Applying some of that sweet Gothenburg sound to their own detailed aural texture and renovating melodic death metal for another strong twist of the knife. Indefatigably Of Despair moves the band onto a flush and gritty second act of brisk viscera.
As intense riffs play off a feeling of impending doom looming underneath the rustic mastering, it’s hard not to get swept away with the scorching emotion blazing through on classy riffing. Ever so often settling to let the embers cast shadows off from the riptide of their arduous quickening. The silhouettes of Swedish favourites flicker rhythmically in the periphery.
Of Despair, despite it’s allusive title, is a spirited album owing reverence to bands such as Autopsy and Dissection. As the album progresses Horrified define their own characteristics by moving their own experiences onto the fret boards, creating a noise that fits tightly into the genre with a unique style spoken through some neat licks.
The dynamics of the instruments are however diminished by the wispy vocals that are too often obscured within the mix, often dragging behind the music adding little to boost the already emotive riffs and yet the technical beauty Of Despair holds is raw and driven. The final word is tragic.
8/10
