I believe that the words I used when Steel informed me that a new Horseburner album was in the bin were, quote, “About fucking time!” Sure, it’s only been five years since The Thief, and in the grand scheme that’s nothing. I’ve tried on plenty of stoner/sludge/doom groups during that wait (when I wasn’t listening to Conan’s Existential Void Guardian for the zillionth time) but through it all I kept coming back to Horseburner. So as far as I’m concerned, a new Horseburner couldn’t arrive fast enough. After my time with Horseburner’s newest release, Voice of Storms, I can say with confidence that it’s not only a solid album of great Horseburner-brand sludge-prog jams, it’s a fascinating step forward for a band committed to evolving their style.
Horseburner’s usual comparisons to Mastodon, Baroness, and Howling Giant still hold up, but Voice of Storms reminds me more of Mastodon than ever before. “Palisades” in particular immediately made me think of Once More Round the Sun the first time I heard it; the guitars fly through frantic noodling and big, satisfying riffs, the vocals are a harsh but melodious growl, and the drum fills are constant. Even the less hyperactive songs like “The Gift” and “Heaven’s Eye” have a great Mastodon-esque sense of dynamic energy and momentum. The overall sound of Voice of Storms is a bit cleaner this time, with the guitar’s grit toned down from The Thief. I’ve always loved the edge that grit brought to Horseburner’s riffs, but Voice of Storms still has a satisfying, sludgy fuzz that’s a joy to experience.
Where The Thief saw Horseburner zeroing in on their sound and taking bolder strides in their songwriting, in Voice of Storms Horseburner expands on their songwriting abilities by refining them. Some of their more frenetic progressive tendencies have been eschewed for a tighter scope and stronger focus on melody, and the result is an album of distinct, highly memorable songs. Just after a first listen, every song sticks out even at a cursory glance; the insanely catchy melody in “Hidden Bridges,” the frantic pace of “Palisades,” the big, beefy riffs contrasting the lightning-quick verse in “The Gift,” or the sprawling, epic escalation of “Widow.” These core motifs make the songs easy to latch onto and highly re-listenable, but Horseburner’s real achievement is how energetic the music is while never losing control. This energy plays into the themes as well; Voice of Storms is an allegory for the mistreatment of women throughout history. The energy feels almost impossible to contain like it’s fighting against the limits of the songs themselves, and it gives Voice of Storms an unrelenting but thrilling pace.
If Voice of Storms were a vacuum, there would be scant little to complain about. The latter half of “Diana” starts to recycle ideas without enough escalation to justify the runtime, and I’ve never quite connected with the interlude “Silver Arrow,” but I struggle to muster any real annoyance. But while Voice of Storms is the more consistent album, the high points don’t hit quite as high as those from The Thief. Because of the toned-down grit, heavy riffs like those in “The Gift” or “Widow” don’t have a similarly massive impact as something like “Hand of Gold, Man of Stone.” That thick, crunchy tone paired with the violent riffage made The Thief’s best moments downright electrifying; I never had a similarly rapturous moment in Voice of Storms as I did the first time I heard “Fathoms.” Still, if this were somebody’s first Horseburner album, they wouldn’t be missing some crucial piece of the puzzle. But the crunchier elements from Horseburner’s past are somewhat missed by a curmudgeonly fan like me.
I know this review is late as sin, but I wanted to get it out there because Voice of Storms deserves your attention. Horseburner could have just made another Thief and I’d have eaten it up, but Voice of Storms comes from a yearning desire to never stop changing and the results are great. Maybe sometimes a few things are lost in the churn of evolution, and I’d love to see some of Horseburner’s heavier sensibilities return in the future, but it’s difficult to ignore Horseburner’s achievement here. Voice of Storms is well-written, full of energy, and is Horseburner’s most consistent release to date; this is a vital album for Horseburner fans and for anyone looking for a refreshing slab of dynamic sludge metal.
Rating: 3.5/5.0
DR: 6 | Format Reviewed: PCM
Label: Blues Funeral Recordings
Websites: facebook | bandcamp
Releases Worldwide: June 21st, 2024
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