Horrendous - Ontological Mysterium

I let the latest single from Horrendous pour over my ears today. Holy shit, what a piece of music! Ontological Mysterium is the first single and the title track from their upcoming release, due out on August 18th of this year. There’s a lot to unpack with this track, and it’s absolutely worth it your time. If you’re like me and you like your heavy music a little more complicated than not, you’re gonna LOVE this. It’s got some comfortable, toe-tappable riffs that turn at the last second and leave you with a raised eyebrow as you look for the next downbeat. It’s glorious in all its unexpectedness. This is not your standard four-on-the-floor metal and that’s exactly what I love about it.

Matt Knox and Damian Herring’s guitar work is fantastic; super fucking tasty technical riffs that bring Ron Jarzombek and Blotted Science to mind. Aggressive as hell and supremely filthy, but performed with precision and nestled perfectly in a mix that lets you hear every outstanding element. Alex Kulick’s bass lines are killer and his tone is just about as perfect as one could hope for. The bass gets lost in so many modern metal mixes these days; I was psyched to get to hear what Kulick was actually playing. (Which happened to be great bass parts…) Drummer Jamie Knox absolutely kills it with a super punchy style that flows like a glassy river and belies the band’s non-standard time signatures. Herring’s vocals are brutal and violent, but with the thinnest of clean edges that keeps them discernable. This is a band of super tight players who each bring their own special sauces together for a plate of delicious awesome, exactly what the musical world needs more of.

I’m super excited to hear the rest of the album in August. If it’s even remotely as good as Ontological Mysterium, it’s going to be a HUGE album and a great follow up to Horrendous’s 2018 release Idol. (Another great record with a lot of the same characteristics that make Ontological Mysterium such a great song.)

Score – 8/10. Great track, great band!

-John