The heavens shall burn when they are gathered: Finnish melodic death metal juggernaut Horizon Ignited are preparing to set the world ablaze. After two awe-inspiring albums, they take things to the next level with “Tides”, a colossal album that will forever change the course of a genre that has become increasingly stagnant in recent years.
Founded in Kouvola back in 2017, the southern Finnish brigade has been aiming high since the very beginning. And so they should, coming from the number one metal nation ever. Already with their second release “Towards The Dying Lands” they scored a deal with metal giant Nuclear Blast. Looking back, the band says “it was a dream come true. It was the goal we’d worked for since day one and we knew we were that good and the band wasn’t put together just yesterday.” Two years later and a successful tour with Swedish masters Hypocrisy under their belts, Horizon Ignited return with the fiery, dark and passionately heavy anthems of “Tides”, this time unleashed by Reaper Entertainment who quickly sensed their chance in signing one of melodic death metal’s most promising acts.
On “Tides”, the band makes good on that promise, delivering a stunning feat of modern death metal wizardry. It’s all there, the soaring melodies, the abyssic
heaviness, the ethereal aura, all aiming for a cross between fellow countrymen Insomnium, later Dark Tranquillity and their unique brand of tempestuous modern metal. “We quickly realised that we all wanted to get heavier and more aggressive. The sound quickly became way more primal and dark.” You will know what they mean as soon as you hear bangers like “Ashes” or “Baptism By Fire”, while songs like the album opener “Beneath The Dark Waters” will quickly rise to become rejuvenating modern classics of a sometimes stale and redundant genre.
Permeated by a profound sense of loss and longing, their massive anthems are steeped in Finnish melancholy and glimpses into the darkest depths of their soul. To be honest, there isn’t a single band out there that sounds like Horizon Ignited. “We took in less outside influences from,” they explain. “We concentrated on improving and enhancing the band’s sound and ideas, and looked at our strengths. We’re pretty sure we actually developed and found our own unique sound with this one.”
No matter how dark the themes of the album may be, the future definitely looks bright for Horizon Ignited. With a fresh and original signature sound up their sleeve, they are ready to storm a scene that is in dire need of fresh blood. “The Gothenburg influences can be heard very clearly on our first two albums but now we are bringing in stuff from the Finnish music scene and also some modern metalcore,” they say. “We also listen to a lot of stuff outside of metal and we think you can hear those influences as well.” You bet! Ranging from classical bits to cosmic synths and eerie choirs, “Tides” comes a long way, telling tales of woe and loss. “This album’s lyrics are mostly pretty personal, even more so than before,” the band states. “But not all of course: There are also some mythical tales going on, and the lyrics to the song ‘Fraction Of Eternity’ are inspired by the ‘Mass Effect’ video game series, haha!”
Recorded over the course of three highly productive weeks with Juho Räihä (guitarist for Swallow The Sun) at Inka Studio in Orimattila, the band really came into their own during the process. “We kept count on how many times Juho showed devil horns throughout the process. It was 33. It must be some kind of an unofficial record at least, right?,” they laugh. The album was then mixed and mastered by Chris Clancy (Machine Head, Kataklysm) in the UK. “Chris did a killer job,” the band enthuses. “He really understood where this band comes from, but also took us on a whole other level in production. This wickedly talented duo undeniably made this album to be so much better than we ever thought of.” And speaking of chemistry: The vocals for raging death metal onslaught “Baptism by Fire” were done in the first take!
Starting with the new national anthem of melodic death metal, “Beneath The Dark Waters” tells the tale of a dead man who is journeying towards the afterlife while remembering his loved ones that he left behind. Certainly one for the history books! This beast of a song is followed by “Welcome To This House Of Hate”, “the heaviest and angriest song we’ve ever written”, as the band states. “When we play this live, we need to see a wall of death. The whole song is like a big breakdown.” Will do! Continuing with “Ashes” featuring Jaakko Mäntymaa from death/doom outfit Marianas Rest, Horizon Ignited showcase their slower and ultra heavy side, delivering “the absolute embodiment of hopelessness, taking you to the bottom of the dark ocean without light in sight.” On a more serious note, catchy “Prison Of My Mind” is about Alzheimer’s disease while the blistering and distorted “Fraction Of Eternity” pays homage to the “Mass Effect” saga.
“Tides” is an album about longing, about trying to come to terms with the insignificance of life – and finding bliss and peace in it. “We are very young and meaning-less in the universal scale but by working together and by coming together, maybe we can find a purpose in this cosmic void,” the band says. Let this be our new man-tra. And “Tides” the soundtrack to this new era.
Tracklist:
01 – Beneath the Dark Waters
02 – Ashes
03 – Baptism By Fire
04 – Welcome To This House of Hate
05 – My Grave Shall Be the Sea (Leviathan Pt. II)
06 – Prison of My Mind
07 – Fraction of Eternity
08 – Aurora’s Dance
09 – Tides
10 – Fragments
Line-Up:
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