I bought this one on name alone as usual. This is the Kings latest offering and it’s actually a positive surprise. All though I find all of this bands albums solid, well-played and well-put together efforts there are (of course) albums that are better and albums that are worse. I find everything that K.D made (incl. M.F) prior to the split with Roadrunner Records in 90-91 something to be pure genius. The three studio-albums K.D made after the split (“The Spider’s Lullaby”, “The Graveyard” and “Voodoo” ) came out a bit disappointing. They all had some good songs but something clearly had happened. The music seemed to be more fragmentary. The songs was built up around 5,6,7 or so melodies and/or riffs with each section repeated 2-3 times per song adding a feeling of predictability into the whole thing. This and the sometimes present tiredness felt in some of the songwriting is what I considered the main flaws of the before mentioned albums.

I was under the impression that K.D had to change the way they wrote their songs if they ever were to make a REALLY good album once more. This is why HoG is a positive surprise. The band hasn’t changed (apart from a few band-members, but that is traditional) merely toned down the fragmentary part a bit. There is a new healthy glow in the songwriting (maybe it’s Kings divorce, who knows?) because it is the exceptional compositions that make this such a good release. It is as usual a concept album and the story leaves a lot to wish for and the music style is OF COURSE the same as ever (for the unworthy that is tech. HM). The production is also the same as on prior albums. As I said before the kick-ass songs is what separates this from the other (latest) albums, all other key-components are the same. Almost every riff and every melody is top-notch. Now the fragmentary build-up of the songs makes me crave for more (since no part is played longer than 30 seconds) I listen to this album over and over (and I can tell you all that it’s fucking ages since I really enjoyed a HM-release).

I recommend this to everyone who lost the faith in K.D in the early 90:s they are back with a bang (recommended for unworthy as well of course). Not everything on this release is top-notch but I certainly now quite a few things that are: The cliché guitar-riff in “Black Devil”, the mighty title-track laid with church-organs, the crucifix on the back of the CD-case that turns to a inverted cross because the track listing is written upside down, the killing lead guitar-play (no stupid melody lines a la In Flames that goes on forever but killing melodies divided into separate riffs, hard to explain but killing nonetheless) the excellent lyrics to “This Place is Terrible” where the me-person meets the übergods of this world and choose death over puppets on other puppets strings and a whole lot more things at that.

“Your unholy eyes, I wanna see them shut
Oh, you meaningless little God, and so I choose death over you
Up the grey cold stairs, up into the tower of Hell
With a rope in my hand, I’m searching for the unknown land
FATHER OF THE UNIVERSE, here I come….. THIS PLACE IS TERRIBLE”

“Piece of mind”

Killer album [!!!!], it just raises one question: “Why the HELL the southern of France?????”

© 2000 herr nebelwerfer