After the short but convincing and self-titled debut EP, released on cassette tape and 7’ vinyl by Stygian Black Hand in 2022, it was time to wait to see what this anonymous Vengeance Horde would come up with. It may have taken a little while, but ‘Surging Vengeance’ has definitely been worth the wait. Without any diffidence, the band delivers a blasting and murderous homage to the Australian Black/Death Metal scene of the 1990s.
In only just over half an hour, Vengeance Horde drags you past the classic (earliest) records of Bestial Warlust, Deströyer 666 and Abominator. In good tradition, the overwhelming amount of riffs, blasting drums and possessed vocals give you no chance to catch your breath in between. This clearly pays homage to the cover chosen to accompany this record, ‘Surging Vengeance’ is the true musical equivalent of a bloody battlefield.
Without making any effort to add anything of originality to the mix, we are drawn into the carnage as defenceless listeners, almost forgetting that we are still waiting for a Bestial Warlust reunion. The sheer enjoyment of this musical violence is so great that we easily forgive the band for letting us revisit the two songs from the debut EP, and why shouldn’t we? They are two stunners that may well be given another go.
While it is not officially known who (or what) is behind Vengeance Horde, this appears to be a one-man band. Whether that is true time will eventually tell (or not), but it is clear that this is a person who knows very well what he is doing. Should you let an average passerby in a random shopping mall hear this they will label it as “senseless noise”, yet, the understanding mind knows better. Behind the relentless skull-hammering is an undeniably good sense of song writing, because, and don’t let anything fool you, in order to keep this kind of music from drowning in what could indeed be called “senseless noise,” you have to know how to turn it into controlled chaos. Mr. Vengeance Horde is clearly a master is his craft.
Given the band’s musical antics, it should come as no surprise that, in addition to Stygian Black Hand and Deathrash Armageddon, Nuclear War Now! Productions has been hooked up to market this hellish barbarism.
