Review by Saxy S for Horrendous - Ontological Mysterium (2023)

Horrendous are a band that I have struggled with throughout their career. Starting off as a mostly pedestrian OSDM band, the bands 2018 album, Idol, added many more progressive elements and transformed itself into something closer to technical death metal, but not in the traditional sense of the phrase. And while I could sense a real quality in the performances, I still couldn't get into it as much of that album felt elongated for its own sake, instead of as an avenue to tell a complex story.

We've had to wait five years to hear how the band would follow up and what we ended up with was certainly more refined Horrendous, and I sound that I emphatically enjoy more than anything the band has done to this point. It's worth pointing out that every track on Ontological Mysterium has its own identity and tells a story, typically in a shorter amount of time than previously. I really enjoy the compositions of "Neon Leviathan" and "Preterition Hymn", while the title track and "Cult of Shaad'oah" impress with a very unique heavier side of the band, which definitely leans closer to technical thrash than death metal.

"Chrysopoeia" might be Horrendous' most ambitious track to date since it is the one that is closest to a progressive metal opus and for the most part, the band does a very good job of it, but given how this group is able to make other tracks work in a shorter amount of time really diminishes the opener's impact. Although, props to the band for making the longest track on the album the opener (besides "The Blaze", which is more of an intro). That allows for the progressive pivot to be front and center instead of waiting until the very end, which I appreciate for the full albums construction.

I will say, the production on Ontological Mysterium is great and enforced by some excellent structural compositions. I feel like the percussion might be the biggest turn-off for some of the OSDM fans out there, but the minimal work is not that bad. The guitar riffs can be infectious and are ususally complimented by some great sounding harsh vocals and thrash-y guitar solos. But of course, I could not go any farther without the bass and it is full of energy. The three part polyphony of the bass and two guitar players allow these songs to feel alive without becoming overindulgent by having way too many things happening all at once. 

But the biggest thing for me in the runtime, which was sort of mentioned earlier. There are still some longer tracks on this record, including the seven minute opener, but Horrendous have refined their songs to an alarming degree and they feel rewarding to listen to. Horrendous really stepped their game up here and made one of the best albums of their career.

Best Songs: Neon Leviathan, Preterition Hymn, Cult of Shaad'oah, Ontological Mysterium