... HESPERIAN DEATH HORSE 'Mrtav' (Album Review)

ex-Yugoslavia is one of the most backward territories of Europe when it comes to underground extreme Metal genres and the main reason behind this - is certainly the horrible civil (religious) war that happened there about 20 years ago. Long years of fratricide fights, crimes against humanity, deportations within a great part of a country that ended torn into pieces, and consequently were born new independant republics of Croatia, Serbia, Slovenia, Macedonia... all with a future to re-build and many wounds to cure ! More than probably? this recent history played a role in the tormented style of Hesperian Death Horse, a very interesting Post Metal/Sludge band from Zagreb (Croatia) formed in 2011 and who released a pretty good debut album early this year entitled "Mrtav"... the guys aren't here to tell fun stories in a bright context, it's not depressive but includes a great dose of gloominess which can eventually sensitize a wide range of dark wanderers ! 

The rather classical chiaroscuro atmospheres of the album are tightly settled and encompass familiar elements of the genre such as lenghty track times, detuned guitars and mountainous tones... but Hesperian Death Horse has more to offer than this, probably the most representative song, 'Décès' is eying on the wandering side of Sludge with distorted omnipotence, cosmic amplitude and angry screamed vocals mixed alltogether - a real highlight that brings you in uncertain territories with lots of feeling !!! 
The evocative lyrics seem to have been really refined and added to the quality of the vocals make each song a giant piece of aural hauntingness; guitars act like a machine who foray an abstract black hole !  at times a little overture lets a bit of light humanize its obscure and painful mission with quieter moments full of fluidity and grace, at others, tense mid-tempos with irresistible overpowering gravity will surpass anything in lumbering resonance !

The dismal hand of doom touched this fine band that is Hesperian Death Horse, it's not too late to give this album the more rewarding echo it deserves... 

https://www.facebook.com/HesperianDeathHorse