Mouth of Madness - Event Horizon

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Mouth of Madness is an extreme metal band from Germany that formed in 2013.  Up until now their only release was their self-titled EP.  Over a decade later they now grace us with their debut full-length, “Even Horizon.”

If I’m being honest, I could do without the three ambient tracks but that’s more a personal opinion than a true knock against it—they do fit into the context of the album as a whole, but they just aren’t really my thing.  However, the other tracks are fucking madness.  Pun not intended.  Or maybe it was.  I don’t really care either way.

But what I do care about is how unique this album sounds.  It fits into the realm of black and death metal—it even has thrash elements as well. Hell, there are even some doom (ish) moments here and there.  But the way they put all this together builds a sound that is wholly their own.  

Check out the first metal song, “Sex and Thanatos.”  I have no idea what that could even mean; It’s probably supposed to be profound or something but I’m just here for the riffs.  The song explodes from the first second and never slows down.  In under two minutes it makes itself have more of an identity than some whole albums I’ve heard. 

Whereas the aforementioned track was death incarnate with a straightforward approach, “At the Heart of the Unknown,” The first minute or so is engaging black metal with killer hooks before falling into a steady beat—the drums are especially biting here.  I really like the vicious vocals; they have an urgency to them yet sound depraved and soulless at the same time.  

“Fireborn,” is the longest song on the album, at just over 9 minutes. It’s also my favorite—the longer length really lets them settle into their own sound and be more explorative.  As the tempos rock back and forth like a body swaying on a noose in a storm, the band’s instrumental prowess cannot be denied.  A melodic twist is thrown into the mix around the halfway mark, a shining moment that represents the band’s outside the box approach of not being afraid to do what needs to be done.  

Remember in the beginning of this review where I said I didn’t care for the ambient songs?  I lied.  The last song “Transhimalaja+Part II,” is really fucking ominous and a complete mind fuck in a disturbingly subtle way.  Honestly, it’s the perfect ending for this album!  

Mouth of Madness’ “Event Horizon,” is a really interesting album that’s against the grain enough to satisfy us metalheads but engaging and imaginative enough to make even skeptics raise their eyebrows a bit at this. 

Rating:  Great












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