Review by Marcelo Vieira on August 4, 2024.

Deströyer 666 - one of the world of black metal’s most versatile and most volatile outfits. True rebels, a dying breed! And to what end do these miscreants feed their and your animal instincts? The total and complete rupturing of political correctness and an homage to the days when blackened metal was something to be feared. Deströyer 666 vision leader, Keith “KK” Warslut is a man who lives on the fray or I guess you could say in the past. His views on social/political issues are like something straight out of Lemmy’s playbook where honesty, strength, and unwavering swagger stand paramount. This no-bullshit way of viewing our shit world along with the music, which is about as fiercely adversarial as it gets is where this band’s allure comes into play. What kind of strong-willed person who believes in things like sovereignty, freedom of expression and true liberation wouldn’t be appalled by what the modern metal scene as a whole has become? Deströyer 666 is the voice of opposition, of war, and of pride. Master’s morality is put on display as opposed to the slave morality that so plagues the scene today. True representations of the black metal way are Deströyer 666 and as the PC bitches throw everything they’ve got at KK and crew, it simply rolls off of their battle-hardened shoulders. 

In 1997, Deströyer 666 released their sophomore effort, “Unchain the Wolves”. The cover art represents “the spirit of the white man”. Ah, how refreshing for a Caucasian to openly express such pride in his heritage without reservation or fear of being labeled a racist. For you see, there is no wrong for an individual, no matter of what race, taking pride in his heritage whether white, black, or whatever. Heathen pride! And in no way a disparaging of any other race. And the music? Raw, nasty, and brutal. Probably about as close to what’s considered to be true black metal as any of their other records. Deströyer 666 have ventured further and further away from this approach over the span of their career as they’ve infused more and more elements of thrash and heavy metals into their style. “Unchain the Wolves” quite simply captures the essence of the band’s youthful aggression as it stood before the eventual infusion of these other influences and the band’s more professional status as it stands today. 

With purely violent tracks like “Satan’s Hammer” and “Six Curses From a Spiritual Wasteland”, Deströyer 666 admonishes the folk, the melodicism, and the storytelling of Scandinavian black metal and quite simply crush them under their boots. Black metal for the enthusiast who embraces the notion that BM should always be as radical and provocative as possible. Black metal with balls. That’s not to say that D666 doesn’t dabble a bit in these as evidenced by “Tyranny” with its slower, more savory, and more melodic passages but short-lived they are! “Damnation’s Pride” to once again tear at the jugular and scourge the realm of true black metal before the album closes with “Onward to Arktoga”. A typical closing track for Deströyer 666: epic, meaningful, and thought-provoking. 

True champions of the adversarial path! Outlaws and free-spirits whose loyalty to their music and to the beast within stand unwavering in the face of opposition from today’s keyboard warriors, social justice bitches, sniveling special interest groups, and sleazy publications like MetalSucks and Metal Injection who’ve been nothing but cancers to the scene. In a league of their own, outcasts and the face of the enemy for those aforementioned. In much the same way as all of us who’ve stepped into the world of black metal and who have eventually developed the mindset to exist and to think on a plateau above what’s common, Deströyer 666 live by the code of the wolf and everything it stands for. Heroes if you ask me, are vital to the genre and a proud institution that any artist who’s truly free should emulate even if it’s only to a degree. Hail the White Wolf! All hail Deströyer 666… 

Rating: 8.5 out of 10

Review by Felix on November 20, 2023.

Finland houses some seemingly indestructible hordes that have totally inhaled the spirit of black metal. Azaghal is among these formations, Behexen prove their loyalty to the genre with every new release and Horna's debut was published in 1998, almost 20 years ago. In 2014, the persistent band released its last album up to now. "Hengen Tulet" means "Spirit Fires" and without knowing the exact intention of the artists when choosing this title, I can confirm that the album reflects the fiery spirit of the musicians. The ugly, pitch black sound of the album mirrors the brutal and misanthropic approach of the dudes. Better still, some pieces of "Hengen Tulet" show the compositional excellence of the band anew.

Horna do not kneel down to the unlimited dogma of high speed. They vary the tempo in a convincing manner. Nevertheless, high speed tracks such as "Tämä maailma odottaa" (I really like the Finish language, but I fear the only purpose of its invention was to leave me completely disturbed) send pleasant shivers down my spine. Effervescent drum rolls meet merciless guitars, the chorus works and each and every note increases the joy of listening. Better still, songs like the subsequent "Saatanalle" are cut from the same cloth. Horna celebrate these typical, life-denying riffs that express the mentality of the sub genre in a very good way. The dark production sets the guitars in the right light. The hoarse vocals come into their own as well, while the snare drum sounds slightly hollow. Anyway, the mix matches the expectations.

More problematic is the fact that the band runs out of ideas as the full-length continues. Some songs of the album's second half fall by the wayside in comparison with the other tracks, because they somewhat lack of determination and brutality. Slightly uninspired mid-tempo parts, for example in "Sodan Roihu", characterize large sections of these tunes. It is therefore good to know that the closer is able to build a bridge to the first tracks in view of vehemence, darkness and musicality. The Finnish bitterness returns and leaves no room for lukewarm sounds. Thus, the final song closes the cycle and the small number of rather average tracks is quickly forgotten.

After all, there can be no doubt that Horna deliver value for money. Already the great opener with its well integrated tempo variations is a black milestone that wallows in profound negativity without neglecting the appropriate degree of melodies. Unstoppable when preferring high speed, merciless when using rather slow rhythms - that is the way how "Hengen Tulet", which clocks in at 48 minutes, challenges your stereo system, at least during the first 30 minutes of its playtime. The band has still an enormous amount of creativity and everybody who is interested in honest black metal should give this work a chance. Indeed, it is not absolutely flawless but authentic as well as fascinating and a good soundtrack for your next barbecue on a clearing somewhere in the Serbian woods.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10