Horned Almighty are a black metal band from Denmark and this is their seventh album.
It has been a long ten years since I last caught up with Horned Almighty, (which is somewhat of a shocking realisation to be honest), so catching up with them is long overdue. Contagion Zero offers up 36 minutes of infectious black metal.
Horned Almighty perform black metal that’s steeped in traditional energies, yet also has a few incantations learned over the last few decades. From the start to the end Contagion Zero holds the listener’s attention, taking you on a journey through violence, terror, nightmare, and gloom.
The songs each demonstrate an easy understanding of what makes black metal so compelling. They’re well-crafted beasts, offering a swathe of quality guitar textures, serrated blackened riffs, and dark melodic weight to captivate and enthral. Honestly, there’s some damn good music on here.
I keep coming back to the songwriting as a vehicle for the potent realisation of the band’s vision for their art. There are a range of paces and moods, all dark and malevolent. Horned Almighty understand structure and dynamics, as well as how to craft an effective transition. There are nuances and creative ideas scattered across the battlefield of the album, as well as quite simply some murderously good riffs that just emanate pure evil.
Contagion Zero is a great example of how to write and perform really strong black metal in the classic style at an advanced level. I confess, I wasn’t expecting Contagion Zero to be anywhere near as good as it is, but Horned Almighty are on fire.
If you’re a fan of traditional black metal that’s delivered with passion, personality, malefic presence, and songs that are well above the average, then this is resolutely for you. Don’t miss out on this underground gem.
Wonderbox Metal 