Bloodhorse: More Horizoned Than Thou
Posted in Reviews on August 21st, 2009 by JJ KoczanAfter the considerable buzz that surrounded them following the 2007 release of their debut, self-titled EP through Translation Loss, Boston?s Bloodhorse make a firm statement with Horizoner, clearly demonstrating there?s more to stoner metal in 2009 than Sleep worship or post-metal posturing. With nine tracks in just under 50 minutes, the trio update Kyuss riffs with beard metal sensibilities, pounding drums, and semi-melodic vocal shouts. It?s new school, for sure, but Bloodhorse?s up-from-the-basement aesthetic serves them well when it comes to unleashing their sometimes speedy charge.
Horizoner is a bold release from the outset, beginning with the album?s longest track, ?A Good Son,? the first six minutes of which is pure intro. With a full song tacked onto the slow build start (if you can?t abide a band taking a while to get where they?re going, you?re in the wrong genre), ?A Good Son? stretches near 10 minutes, two and a half longer than the next closest, but it also sets the tone for the record perfectly. Bloodhorse have a strong, aggressive take on ?90s stoner rock that shows itself in huge Torche-style guitars and vocals which, on the short ?Aphoristic,? come on with punk rock velocity. Drummer Alex Garcia-Rivera, who also engineered and mixed this recording, shows himself to be versatile enough in whatever gear the song takes, his crash and tom work being principle to the success of ?A Passing Thought to the Contrary? and other cuts throughout.