Review by JD on November 29, 2009.

Merlot is the name for a type of grape that is used to make some of the finest wines all over the world... but the name has been tarnished to a coal black. This one man band hails from the wilds of Wisconsin has taken the term for a band name... but is not even close to being defined as something that is akin to any fine wine. Truthfully, It is not even equivalent to the worst made home made wines.... this is about as good as someone drinking mouthwash straight from the bottle with a ipecac chaser.

This one man band Merlot tries to play some very brutally over the top type of Death/Black almost Grinding sort of metal... but as good as that seems, it falls flat. The production is so bad (even with the fact that it was done on a four track recording system), I shutter just thinking about how it just comes at you like white noise that is like some meaningless sludge, and not the good sludge either... this is like it is has been made by a tone-deaf dyslexic using a old amp with a guitar that has only two strings borrowed from a banjo...and it is still totally out of tune.

The guitarist/drummer/vocalist and only person in the project (Mr. J. Haras) barely passes for being a musician while his so-called vocals sound like a constipated dog dumping a thirty pound steaming pile that is filled with razorblades in the middle of a avalanche. This album is so bad, I would rather listen to the Barney, the Big Purple Dinosaur’s theme song over and over again until my mind exploded! This has to be the single worst produced and recorded piece of crap that I have ever had the displeasure of hearing ever.

Word to the wise, Mr. J. Haras of Merlot... Get the hell out of the business of doing metal and do all of the headbangers around the globe something good... Put down every instrument you try to play, get a job flippin’ patties at Burger King and leave the making of metal music to people that actually know what they are doing.

Categorical Rating Breakdown　

Musicianship:0

Atmosphere: 0

Production: 0

Originality: 0

Overall: 1 (Sympathy point)


Rating: 0.2 out of 10

**Note** I gave Merlot only one point, because I hate giving anyone a zero... but I seriously did contemplate doing it for this band. That should say plenty about this album... pardon me while I go and puke, and then plot this bands timely destruction!

Review by JD on November 29, 2009.

Merlot is the name for a type of grape that is used to make some of the finest wines all over the world... but the name has been tarnished to a coal black. This one man band hails from the wilds of Wisconsin has taken the term for a band name... but is not even close to being defined as something that is akin to any fine wine. Truthfully, It is not even equivalent to the worst made home made wines.... this is about as good as someone drinking mouthwash straight from the bottle with a ipecac chaser.

This one man band Merlot tries to play some very brutally over the top type of Death/Black almost Grinding sort of metal... but as good as that seems, it falls flat. The production is so bad (even with the fact that it was done on a four track recording system), I shutter just thinking about how it just comes at you like white noise that is like some meaningless sludge, and not the good sludge either... this is like it is has been made by a tone-deaf dyslexic using a old amp with a guitar that has only two strings borrowed from a banjo...and it is still totally out of tune.

The guitarist/drummer/vocalist and only person in the project (Mr. J. Haras) barely passes for being a musician while his so-called vocals sound like a constipated dog dumping a thirty pound steaming pile that is filled with razorblades in the middle of a avalanche. This album is so bad, I would rather listen to the Barney, the Big Purple Dinosaur’s theme song over and over again until my mind exploded! This has to be the single worst produced and recorded piece of crap that I have ever had the displeasure of hearing ever.

Word to the wise, Mr. J. Haras of Merlot... Get the hell out of the business of doing metal and do all of the headbangers around the globe something good... Put down every instrument you try to play, get a job flippin’ patties at Burger King and leave the making of metal music to people that actually know what they are doing.

Categorical Rating Breakdown　

Musicianship:0

Atmosphere: 0

Production: 0

Originality: 0

Overall: 1 (Sympathy point)


Rating: 0.2 out of 10

**Note** I gave Merlot only one point, because I hate giving anyone a zero... but I seriously did contemplate doing it for this band. That should say plenty about this album... pardon me while I go and puke, and then plot this bands timely destruction!

Review by Felix on May 9, 2019.

A few days ago, I read the following statement: "true greatness of the split recording lies not in the simple addition of two bands of mutual respect and admiration, but much more so in the ability to merge those qualities into something that truly stands on its own merits". Well, I am no expert for "true greatness", but sometimes I can identify true nonsense very quickly and this quote falls exactly in this category. So, it makes more sense to speak about the content of the here selected album than to lose many words about its format.

Behexen's songs profit from a better sound than those of Horna and so I begin with the contribution of the spiritual fathers of immortal classics such as "Fist of the Satanist". Too bad that their three songs with a remarkable duration of nearly 22 minutes cannot compete with giants like the aforementioned song from "By the Blessing of Satan". The dudes present the typical approach and the results are convincing, no more, no less. The tempo changes ensure an acceptable degree of dynamic, some icy guitar lines show up and the rumbling overall approach explains the general view of the band on black metal in a matter of minutes. "Beyond the Shadow of My Lord" is a little bit too long, but it houses some very dark instrumental parts, full of power, strength and hellish flair. Not to mention the opening riff of "A Distant Call from Darkness". It carries the group through the entire song and shows that Behexen are probably the most competent black metal force from Suomi. (77%).

The contribution of Horna seems to be recorded underwater, in a stinking bin or in a sound studio without functioning microphones. Everything sounds dull, flat and blurred. This affects the impact of the compositions inevitably. Their sinister scenarios remain vapid and, to be honest, the riffing also does not reveal overwhelming skills. Albums like "A Blaze in the Northern Sky" or "Under a Funeral Moon" have already been written and therefore I have to question the motivation of Horna to publish similar tunes in a similar sound. However, if one can't get enough of raw black metal in a low budget frame, feel free to enjoy Horna's four pieces on this split. Yet in my humble opinion, they have much better tunes (55%). 

In a nutshell, it's a partially strong split, but "true greatness" is missing here. Both formations show their solidarity with the real underground, to express it in a positive way. That indicates a laudable mentality, but it does not make the songs themselves more valuable. So, check out whether or not it makes sense for you to become familiar with this work.

Rating: 6.6 out of 10