Nexhymn, Black Horizon

Huh. Go figure. With a name like Nexhymn and a debut EP entitled Black Horizon, I was all set for some seriously cold and blasting black metal. Little did I know what I was going to hear upon throwing this album into the CD player. Not only is the Colorado band not black metal, but it’s fronted by a lady (Holly Wedel, if you were curious) whose guttural growls are pretty damned vicious.

As a whole, this six track EP is packed with plenty of straightforward death metal that has a slight tinge of black metal thrown in for good measure. The production on the album is a bit lack luster as everything sort of blends together in a churning amalgam of destruction, but to tell you the truth it works to the band’s advantage here. Driving riffage and plenty of rapid fire drum work dominate each track with just enough variation between them to keep you engaged throughout the 20 or so minutes it takes to get through Black Horizon.

The marshal rhythms of “Decaying Monument” gets things off to a raucous start with a chugging, mid-paced tempo. Each track builds upon the previous as the band pummels you with unrelenting rhythms and marching riffs, driving you to your end. “Repacious Temptest” slows things down slightly momentarily before the title track gets back down to business with ferocious drum work and blackened riffs. The one song that stands out the most on the short EP would probably be “Exquisite Plague” and it’s more varied guitar arrangements and riffs. It’s still an unstoppable beast of a song, but at least it’s got a little something different in it to break up the monotony some.

Black Horizon works well as a nice introduction to Nexhymn. It’s not a stellar release, but it showcases a band with some solid promise. I would expect a full-length with a little more variety amongst the chugging, panzer tank like rhythms from this death dealing crew. I’ll be on the look out for more from the band in the future.