Review: Terzij de Horde – A Rage of Rapture Against the Dying of the Light
Terzij de Horde - A Rage of Rapture Against the Dying of the Light (2010) [Self-Released] // Grade: B+
Changing their name from Liar Liar Cross on Fire to Terzij de Horde was probably the best career move the band could ever make. With their debut EP, A Rage of Rapture Against the Dying of the Light brewing up quite the storm, the Dutch black metal band has shown the world that once again, geographic location doesn’t mean shit when it comes to black metal. In the spirit of Wolves in the Throne Room and other avante-guard metal acts, Terzij de Horde’s creation is a string of high-intensity, never ending melodic, tremolo-picking metal. Expect ethereal vocals focusing heavily on nature and literature. Isn’t that the new trend in black metal?
Even if it is, this 4-track EP delivers on many accounts. With vocals dabbling more in the late-90′s Boston hardcore scene (think Cave-In and Converge’s early work), Joost’s raspy and gasping voice hardly overpowers the music. Unlike a lot of the more-recent American acts, Terzij de Horde has found the balance between mixing their influences. I’ve already referenced hardcore and the band really does pull in inspiration from multiple genres. You’ll hear moments of collapsing-doom influence and a ton of melodic death, Gotenburg style. The overall theme of A Rage of Rapture Against the Dying of the Light is most certainly black though.
“Prometheans” is a track laden with complex tremelo-riffs and blast beats, very much akin to the aforementioned Wolves in the Throne Room while “Vertigo – A Mithraic Ritual” begins like a Swedish doom act overlayed with Jacob Bannon’s vocals; wretchedly wicked and harsh. The track takes a few moments to build up, as the reverb overpowers the constant falls in musical tide. Like waves of intensity, “Vertigo – A Mithraic Ritual” builds to a crashing crescendo of blast beats and chaos.
With only 4 tracks to the 30-minute EP, it’s tough to pick a favorite but I’ll go with my gut here and claim that “The Roots Of Doomsday Anxiety” might just be the juggernaut of the album. More doom influence with depressing vocals and layers upon layers of intricately-woven environment give “The Roots Of Doomsday Anxiety” a great feel and audible texture. What metal album would be complete without an epic ending track? Enter “Non Timetis Messor”, one of the most beautiful black metal songs I’ve heard this year. This track is intensely-packed with peaking moments of emotion and a unifying rhythm that passes the time without any drawn-out and awkward components. A Rage of Rapture Against the Dying of the Light marks a great start for the Netherland’s Terzij de Horde. These four dutchmen show us, once again that you don’t have to be from Norway to create your own version of black metal. If you’re a fan of the avante-guard black metal offerings then you should really pick up this album.
