AN NCS PREMIERE: HORRIFIED — “FORGOTTEN THRONES”

 

Over the course of a career that began in 2012, the UK band Horrified have released three albums and a pair of shorter releases. and have continually pushed themselves in new musical directions. As the follow-up to their last album, 2017’s Allure of the Fallen, they’ve recorded an eye-popping 30-minute EP named Sentinel that’s perhaps best characterized as progressive death metal, but isn’t strictly beholden to that genre label, or confined by any other single pigeon-hole. Inventive in its composition and technically remarkable in its execution, it’s an adventurous thrill-ride that’s full of surprises.

Sentinel will be released by Testimony Records on December 13th, and today we’re presenting the second single from the record (following a previously released song called “The Pessimist“, which we’re also streaming below). The title of this new one is “Forgotten Thrones“, and it’s a great example of this band’s formidable talents.

 

 

Vibrancy abounds in “Forgotten Thrones“, from the bubbling and growling bass to the constantly changing drum patterns and the equally mercurial guitars, which produce an array of squirming, darting, jabbing, seething, and groaning sensations. The howling vocals are just as vibrant, providing an extra bit of madness to all the instrumental exuberance.

Unexpectedly, glorious and mesmerizing melodic flourishes fluidly emerge from the intricate instrumental permutations, shifting the music into mystical dimensions — but then again, nearly everything about the song is unexpected and head-spinning, though tightly integrated. It’s like a spinning kaleidoscope of sound, with each performer given equal space to shine. The interplay among them is ingenious — and a joy to hear.

 

 

On the mix and master of Sentinel, Horrified again worked with Damian Herring at Subterranean Watchtower Studios, who has also worked with the likes of Horrendous, Blood Incantation, and Sentient Horror. The cover art was created by one of our favorite artists, Adam Burke.

Sentinel will be released in multiple formats — yellow-and-black swirl vinyl, black vinyl, digipak CD, and digital download. Pre-orders are available now.

PRE-ORDER:
https://testimonyrecords.bigcartel.com/products
https://testimonyrecords.bandcamp.com/album/horrified-sentinel

HORRIFIED:
https://www.facebook.com/Horrifieduk