Hordearii - Styx

After a long while, the Dutch death/thrash band Hordearii has released a new album called 'Styx'. The 4 guys have produced a quality product in the Dutch metal scene. The guy from the little fishertown of Harderwijk have been active since 2004. After releasing their 2007 EP 'Possessed' Hordearii have released one full length 'Overtrown Reality' and two EP's 'Rising Era' and 'Hordearii'. So let's dive in the new release of Hordearii.

From the first second you will notice the amazing production on ‘Styx’. What stands out is that the band put the focus on death metal rather than the thrash metal part which they also master. The death metal aspect during the album is noticeable by the vocals and drums. Listening to the album, you will notice that the thrash aspect isn’t really there but a lot of death metal and melodic elements like during the song ‘Thousand Yard Stare’. 

However during the song ‘Acceptable Intolerance’ you can hear the ‘core’ influences that have been scattered throughout the album. This song is a great song for the fans of Lamb Of God. It could’ve been a song on the Lamb Of God album ‘Ashes Of The Wake’. The riffs are almost identical that Lamb Of God have been using on multiple record but especially on ‘Ashes Of The Wake’. From time to time, ‘Styx’ remind me of the other Dutch band, The Monolith Death Cult’ but with a bit more core influences.

Hordearii is one of the bands that has escaped the eternal pit of death/thrash bands that want to make it with the cheesy death/thrash/core combination. Hordearii has produced the death/thrash/core genre that does work. No endless boring repeating riffs that don’t have any change of pace. The aspect of modern day death metal is combining several genres with each other and most bands don’t manage to combine it correctly but Hordearii is one of the few that do it correctly.

‘Styx’ is an excellent example of the capability of Hordearii. The modern-day death metallers have produced an album to be proud of. Even tho the album is better than 90% of the modern death metal bands here in The Netherlands, I hear a lot of ways where Hordearii could be heading towards. They’re a band with lots of experience in the Dutch metal scene and they know what they’re doing (musically wise). 

Needless to say is that Dutch Brutal Death Metal Thrash is looking forward towards the new colossus of Hordearii.