Ashen Horde – Antimony

To watch the progression of any given band from a small one-man act into an entity that is entirely different and a true beast that is not to be messed with is a privilege like few others that one can experience in the underground. I’ve been acutely aware of Ashen Horde for years now since their first full-length album, “Nine Plagues”, and it would be an understatement to claim that the band has been keeping itself busy since. Growing its line-up with truly formidable musicians from different pockets all over the underground, Ashen Horde has undergone a metamorphosis like incredibly few others have achieved in recent years with its forthcoming new album the culmination of such grandeur and talent.

It’s always tempting to say any work is an automatic win for us as listeners when we’re dealing with a combination that consists of the vocalist from Equipoise and Inferi, two members from Abhoria that take over multiple strings as well as another set of vocals, and the drummer from Norse, but the universe has taught me to be cautiously optimistic if nothing else over the years. As if to dash any doubt I may have had before even truly experiencing what “Antimony” has to offer, it’s in the first two minutes that Ashen Horde proves why it’s a name that’s not just to be respected for how far it has come, but one that demands to pay attention to what comes next. Overflowing with fluid melodies and a progressive attitude that allows every single one of these ten tracks to still maintain that undeniable core of black metal with the capacity to explore adjacent sounds for the hell of it, and it goes without saying that “Antimony” makes it work almost too damn well. All of the pieces that have ever gone into Ashen Horde before now come together in a glorious melting pot that is just too compelling to ignore with its exceptional prowess in virtually every category making this an absolute thrill ride the likes of which we’re always looking for out of the underground no matter what style we’re dealing with. Gripping from beginning to end, “Antimony” is undoubtedly Ashen Horde’s greatest achievement yet.

Progression like what Ashen Horde has undergone over the years is what the best tales in the underground are made out of, and given what has been accomplished in this album and the simple possibility of them keep the trajectory off of this release then I don’t see why Ashen Horde won’t become an absolute darling of the underground. All of the right cues were taken to make “Antimony” the powerhouse creation that it is with it having enough power to keep the name of Ashen Horde in our mouths for some time to come.

“Antimony” releases on January 27th via Transcending Obscurity Records!

LISTEN to advanced tracks from “Antimony” on Bandcamp here.

LIKE Ashen Horde on Facebook here.