There are a few bands one does not really get tired of seeing play live, no matter how many shows you have under your belt, so to speak. We can easily say that HORNA is one of those bands, as we have seen them quite a few times in two different countries. Of course, we did not miss the opportunity to attend their show at Bar Rock Bear in Vantaa, on Saturday, August 19th, 2023. The act does not need any introduction, in our humble opinion, but it is worth mentioning that they will celebrate their 30th anniversary next year, their discography is huge, and they are likely to be considered, as a matter of fact, as a benchmark in the Finnish black metal scene.
The opening act, MIMORIUM, raised our curiosity, so we were quite eager to see their performance. Founded in 2016, they have released three albums so far, and they recently went through a major lineup change, as the singer left the band, so rhythm guitarist Kurjimus took vocals duties.
It took a while for the gig to get started: it was scheduled for 22:00, but the band members started playing at 22:30. The frontman was holding a candlestick, as a pretty clear anticipation of the ritual we were about to witness. He raised it towards us as a blessing, then he put it on the stage, and the candles kept on burning throughout the whole set: magical in its simplicity.
Almost every black metal gig we have attended so far does have a peculiar feature: it feels like we are about to enter a parallel dimension, and of course, it often depends on the band’s ability to effectively convey that specific vibe. MIMORIUM do really know their stuff, as they proved during the 45-minute set: half of the songs in their setlist (eight in total) were taken from their latest release “The Route of Haeresis,” which was published about 1 year ago, but there were also tunes from the previous albums, which is always a smart choice, in our opinion. Glacial riffs, along with a furious rhythm section, and excellent screaming vocals made a great mix, giving uncompromising pure black metal tunes as a result, enhanced by the band members’ notable presence on stage. Bassist Cavus also provided some backing vocals, and he interacted a lot with the audience: at some point, he also greeted a guy with a fist bump, while the frontman incited us with the iconic “horns up” hand gesture. We have to say that there are a lot of black metal bands in this country, but MIMORIUM did really impress us thanks to their solid songwriting and their attitude on stage. We will keep an eye on their upcoming gigs and releases for sure.
HORNA members took the stage at 23:34, while the same old intro was playing in the background. They always end up being surrounded by a mystical aura since the very beginning of their shows, and we cannot help but get involved by their magnetic presence. “Kun Lyömme Jumalan Kodin Liekkeihin” was a perfect opening tune: its aggressiveness set the right atmosphere for the ritual to commence. HORNA’s live shows, we have to say, are always top-level if compared to any other black metal band’s show, in terms of quality and authenticity of the message they deliver, along with an unquestionable professionalism and passion they clearly have as musicians, both on and off stage. The amount of energy they transmitted was impressive, as ferocious as it can be, as their performance was rich and colorful, yet uncompromisingly black metal if this metaphor does sound right to you. Spellgoth is well known for being a charismatic frontman, along with his skills as a singer, as he is always able to drag us into the ritual he is performing. That unique blend of occultism, melancholy, and darkness was clearly expressed by Shatraug and Infection, the two axe-men in the band, who were also providing some excellent backing vocals when needed. VnoM and LHR (respectively on bass and drums) make a great rhythm section and, as usual, do know how to combine an overall rock attitude with a morbid, ruthless, yet classy approach to the genre. We saw that at some point, while they were playing the third tune, “Saatanan Viha,” from their most recent album, Infection had left the stage: one of the guitar strings (the A-string, as we were told afterwards) broke, and he went backstage to put a new one. He came back in no time, and the rest of the gang handled his absence in such a way that the audience barely noticed that: VnoM went to the left side of the stage to fill that “void,” while LHR, Spellgoth, and Shatraug kept on “delivering the goods” as if nothing happened. Kudos to them!
Speaking of Infection, his hypnotic attitude on stage makes every HORNA gig quite special, as a wholesome first-hand experience of what black metal should sound and look like; his undeniable significant skills as a performer, truth be told, are in our opinion top-notch, even in such a crowded “market.”
The audience showed a lot of enthusiasm when Spellgoth announced “Juuret,” which is probably the tune that better confirms the band’s ability to build their own trademark sound and make best use of it with a full-fledged rock-oriented track: its cold yet groovy main riff is an earworm we cannot really get rid of, and we are quite happy about it.
Moreover, the fact that the frontman was giving an accurate speech before announcing every single tune clearly proves the band’s commitment to performing a ceremony, making us feel like we were more than mere beholders.
A nice combination of old and new songs, in addition, made the setlist particularly interesting. Also, if we take the insane number of EPs and split albums into consideration, meaning that it is certainly a hard task to choose which songs to play live…
Putting “Kuoleva Lupaus” and “Merkuriana” in sequence had a big impact on an emotional level, as both tunes are quite intense and do give a clear idea about how deep and wide the band’s worldview can be, despite any shallow stereotype. Their melancholy-infused melodies, along with heartfelt choruses, and groovy drum-paces made this combo unforgettable. The guitar solo on “Kuoleva Lupaus” this time had a distinctive IRON MAIDEN-like aftertaste, which fit perfectly in its overall rockish feeling. The audience (as well as us) reacted accordingly: the venue was fully packed, everyone was enjoying that moment, and we were all together experiencing what is known as “suspension of disbelief,” as we were witnessing a pure and cathartic performance that went beyond music.
The ritual was coming to an end, as there were three songs left to play: “Näkyjen Tuhkasta,” from a split album with BEHEXEN they released back in 2004, followed by “Mustan Kirkkauden Sarastus,” and “Örkkivuorilta” as a closer, which is, by now, a classic. Based on the audience’s reaction to the whole setlist it was quite evident that HORNA as a band is on a different level, and their approach to such a well-established genre, especially in a live setting, is both deeply personal and widely praised. As for us, we already cannot wait to see them again. ‘Till the next time!
Written by Licia Mapelli
Photos by Mirko Luparelli
Setlist
- Kun Lyömme Jumalan Kodin Liekkeihin
- Sinulle, Mätänevä Jehova
- Saatanan Viha
- Haudattujen Tähtien Yönä
- Juuret
- Synkän Muiston Äärellä
- Noidanloitsu
- Kuoleva Lupaus
- Merkuriana
- Näkyjen Tuhkasta
- Mustan Kirkkauden Sarastus
- Örkkivuorilta
