Another slab of Finnish black metal, this time a 7", limited to 500 hand-numbered copies. Musta Surma have just come off of their excellent 'Riena' MCD, and Horna seem to have a dozen or so releases out this year, so this seems to be a filler in between greater things.

The first Horna track, 'Noidanloitsu' is a snoozer, with a lame repetitive riff, and Nazgul's vocals sounding like a certain important body part is stuck in a vice. 'Uhrivalkea' uses some vocal effects on the other hand, and luckily picks up at the end of the track to produce some inspired violence. Comparing Nazgul's vocals here to his work on the Evemaster CD or even previous Horna stuff offers a striking contrast: excellent vocals compared to those of a dying chicken.

Musta Surma produce a breath of fresh air on their side of the split though. Just like their MCD, the two tracks here fucking RIP. 'Kuolonmyrsky' is destructive and FREEZING COLD, thanks especially to the nifty break filled with double bass. 'Miekka Ja Krusifiksi' is even faster, with a rather impressive lead that breaks off into a mid paced death strike, before breaking off into blast after blast. Unlike so many traditional black metal bands, this pair understands how to use the bass guitar as an actual instrument too, instead of not at all!

Musta Surma fucking KILL!

© 2000 brand