Album Premiere: Thonian Horde – Inconnu
The word of the day is “Riffs”
Thonian Horde is straight outta Frederick, Maryland. If you, like me, hadn’t previously heard of this crew and you dig gnarly riffage then, buddy, you better strap in and learn something. Though most of the dudes in TH spend their time playing in stoner outfits like Weed is Weed and Admiral Browning, Thonian Horde is fully centered in bodacious riff-heavy black n’ roll. Fellas, if you wanna hear black metal through the lens of a smoky roadhouse, Inconnu delivers the goods.
Inconnu plays out as a study in the Riff. Guitarists Darren “Dirty” Waters” and Dan “D-Mize” Mize go above and beyond the call of the Riff by shredding through some of the tightest black metal and hard rock you’ve heard in a month of Sundays. Highlights include “Atrocious” which opens with sweaty, hazy atmospherics but soon launches into a brazen stomp that will snap your neck. “Hell Train” hits a sweet spot between Dissection and sleazy rawk n’ roll. Interlude “The Eleventh Dream” and the first minute and a half of “Five Rivers of Hades” are agonizingly sparse, but the wait is totally worth it for the hellaciously ripping riffs of the latter track, easily my favorite guitar attack on the whole record. The title track “Inconnu” is the platonic ideal of black n’ roll; extremely rockin’, extremely black metal. “Organized Oppression” and “Iris Effect” immediately recall the black metal riff stylings of Immortal; both are imminently headbangable.
But don’t just take my word for it. Check out our exclusive premiere of Inconnu right here!
Inconnu is out Friday on limited edition CD and digital download. Pick it up here and stay up to date with Thonian Horde and Grimoire Records on Facebook.
