SLIDHR – White Hart!
Release Date: 13th October 2023
Label: Debemur Morti Productions
Bandcamp
Genre: Black Metal
FFO: Enthroned, Dark Funeral, Deathspell Omega.
Review By: Rick Farley
Composer/guitarist/vocalist Joseph Deegan:
“My blood boils with contempt for so much of this world, that it can sometimes be difficult to focus on anything else. Thankfully, I can channel these emotions into a creative endeavour such as this album. In the oversaturated pantomime that is today’s black metal scene, it can be near impossible to find sincerity. Whatever you may think of Slidhr, just know that the passion is genuine.”
This is about as close to being completely true as you can get for an artist to speak of on their latest release. White Hart! which releases October 13th, 2023, on Debemur Morti Productions, is as furious of a black metal album I’ve heard all year. Feverish guitars, violent percussion, and powerful atmosphere suffocates the listener like a gigantic python squeezing the life out of its prey. You can not only hear, but also feel the wrath within this album.
Leaning heavily on memorable riffs and a brawnyfoundation of seething density, that never goes too far for atmospheric ambience, but rather focuses on dark swirling guitar harmonies over aggressive drums and thick low end to do its dirty work. This album would straight away rather stomp your chest cavity in, than make you wait for it. When it does dip into the undercurrents of atmosphere, it ebbs and flows like a spidery pattern of cracks filled with molten lava, burning anything away in its unpredictable path until it reaches a point where it pools all together and erupts further. It’s surprisingly rhythmic, with just enough dissonance to make its dreadfulness stand out. Slidhr’s use of subtle ambience such as an acoustic guitar passage or a brief but catchy vocal shanty, feel vital to the songs rather than being forcedor just randomly placed. These musical elementsonly strengthen the steamrolling intensity of thetracks even further.
White Hart! has eight songs clocking in at forty-five minutes, which give the listener plenty of value for their hard earned dollars without the album overstaying its welcome. Right from the get-go, track one, The Temple Armoury is a blazing, modern edged black metal canvas full of stormy tremolo riffs, obscenely dark melodies full of malice and grotesque vocals. The double kick from Icelandic drummer Bjarni Einarsson hits so powerfully, that if it were a live setting, it most certainly would force your breath away. The drums alone on this record is worth the admission. However, that says little as to how good this black metal savage actually is. One listen to the heart stopping speed to slow burn of Trench Offering is an overwhelming wave ofvenomous contempt. Snake-like dissonant guitar patterns over blast beats that transcend into rhythmic patterns going between different paces is a style of black metal that I never grow tired of. It offers so much in complexity but never leaves the realm of coherency. The vocals of guitarist Deegan and bassist Stefan Dietz go between nasty screeching and commanding gutturals adding tremendous personality from the vocals. For me though it’s the burning, searing aggression of What the Gauntlet Bestows that pushes this record over the edge into high marks. This track uses pure black metal rage mixed with shrouds of guitar patterns that careen in an airy motion, creating massive tension within an already chaotic environment. There’s a huge bass heavy, catchy riff that makes itself known towards the latter part of the track that’s impossible to ignore. It spits and stomps with its heavy hookiness like a bull ready to charge again after its already gored someone. White Hart! is a masterclass in juxtaposition of conflict and moods.
Honestly, though, I need to stop writing and just let you check this out for yourself. It’s that fucking good.
(4.5 / 5)
