March 22, 2010

Reviewer: Chris

Canada’s Horfixion is on its fourth full-length offering, The Art of Agony, a thrash/death CD that is pretty standard fare for the thrash/death community. Most of the CD harkens back to an underground period long since passed, which might or might not suit your current tastes. Sometimes a CD can seem dated, not necessarily boring, but maybe redundant in its entirety. Honestly, that’s what I take away from The Art of Agony. It’s good music, fun to listen to once around the fountain, but would it necessarily be something you’d pick up and throw in the car when taking those long trips back and forth anywhere?  

A lot of music I enjoy is of an old-school feel; that’s widely-established I suppose. However, I’m also not immune to something sounding like everything else to the point where it doesn’t do much for me in way of real cerebral attachment. There are hundreds of bands from the 80s I can name (and some I can’t) that passed my mental radar once, maybe twice, and then were left in the recesses of time and age. Sadly, it’s not a lack of talent that did them in for me; it’s more a matter of some bands simply beating any given band to the punch and doing it great once or twice around, leaving little left for other bands to apply evenly. Horfixion is a good band, maybe even a great band, but in terms of my listening scope it’s nothing new that really jumps out of the speakers and hits me like a mace. 

As for the CD, there’s an obvious love of thrash metal going on here in spades, and the music is reflective of that throughout. All of the key ingredients are present: speed, melody, blinding time changes, slow, grooves intermixing with harmonious diligence. It’s a fine experience once, maybe twice around, just not sure if it stands up for the long haul. However, moments are to be had, such as with “Claustrophobic Soul Syndrome” which is a pretty caustic trip into metal rage, complete with violent shredding guitar work and relentless, blasting double-bass drums. As typical as that might sound, it’s a point of compliment to what I’m hearing. The CD as a whole is a good one, and for the thrash fan who wants to try everything within reach, it’s certainly worth seeking out.

The Art of Agony has moments, that’s a given, and if moments are enough to assuage you then you might want to grab the disc. Without downing it, there are just other bands out there that I may rotate more often in my personal space, so the listener’s individual taste and mindset is what establishes pecking order.

Release Date: October 2, 2009
Label: Galy Records

TRACK LISTING

1.  Black Door
2.  Serenity Through Karnage
3.  The Dark Judgement of Men
4.  The Art of Agony
5.  Fragrance of Death
6.  Claustrophobic Soul Syndrome
7.  Last Words for the Last War
8.  Blood Pipeline
9.  The Creeping
10.  Died in a Corner
11.  Thermate
12.  Burn to Death
13.  Total Fucking Chaos

Total playing time:  48:34

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Horfixion - The Art of Agony