Album Review: Horisont – Sudden Death (Century Media Records)

Horisont’s “Sudden Death” supercharges their mountainous ascent in an immediate explosion of rich and intricately created songs, but in its conception was an artfully crafted 3-year labour of love. “Sudden Death” is the follow up to Horisont’s acclaimed and highly successful album “About Time” that was released in 2017.

Vocalist Axel declares that:

Our mission was to make the record that WE wanted to do, and not what people expect us to do!

Sudden Death will be released on May 15th, 2020 via Century Media Records.

A very light and catchy melody, one that you could see playing over the montage of an 80’s feel-good movie, begins Revolution. The keyboards are front and centre even when it takes on a briefer darker tone. It’s fun, it’s a bit cute and it’s very classic rock sounding.

Free Riding keeps that retro rock sound focused although here the riffs are a fair bit more prominent. It’s straight-forward energetic rock for the first and last couple of minutes but in between we get a surprising but exciting shift. Very snythy, very mellow and very eerie, it’s so unusual but suggestive of what Horisont are capable of.

These longer and more imaginative tracks, Into the Night (a personal favourite) and Sail On, another pair of great examples that really stand out. Especially as they’re dotted around the more straight-forward rockier numbers like Pushin’ the Line and Runaway. As well as the more chilled out vibes of the likes of Standing Here and Gråa Dagar

What was initially not exactly ‘grabbing’ music really develops as it goes on and you might find the foot tapping and head nodding along involuntarily! The synth heavy start of Breaking the Chain, joined by some thrumming bass later, evolves into such a feel-good tune. Whereas Hold On is a bit of an epic, the optimistic finale where the hero stands tall!

Sudden Death could have ended on that and few would have reason to complain. Such is the hair-raising, air-grabbing feel of it. However, Horisont aren’t done yet, not even close as they reveal a momentous closer that is everything great about Horisont, dialled up and expanded on to an amazing result. At over 8 minutes long, it runs the entire gambit of what this eclectic band is capable of.

Horisont – Sudden Death Full Track Listing:

1. Revolution
2. Free Riding
3. Pushin’ The Line
4. Into The Night
5. Standing Here
6. Runaway
7. Gråa Dagar
8. Sail On
9. Breaking The Chain
10. Hold On
11. Archaeopteryx In Flight

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