Hornwood Fell – ‘Hornwood Fell’

The primary intention of this Italian black metal crew is to resurrect the darkened spirit of the Nineties Norwegian scene, and particularly the energy brought at that time by the likes of Ulver, Darkthrone, Borknagar and Burzum.

To a degree they succeed, as this self-titled debut is a very raw, and has that almost organic feel that many bands of that era managed to evince before the advent of the digital age and its associated technology made them, quite literally, clean up their act.  And this is where Hornwood Fell (sic) fall down…

Because, to be brutally honest (and would you expect anything less from us?), this a mess of an album… Andrea Basili’s drums, for example, are all over the mix:  on opener ‘Cerqua’, his toms are overwhelming, while on ‘Tempesta’ it’s his snare that snaps your eardrums away from the muddy guitar – and his kick work is practically inaudible in many places, when it should be the cornerstone of the band’s sound.

Yes, there are dark and brooding elements to this potentially brave endeavour, but the overall feeling is one of holding back and therefore it does not realize its potentially greater impact.

Tracklist:

Cerqua / Tempesta / Meca / L’Ira / Mutavento / Vinterfresa pt.1 / Vinterfresa pt.2

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