The highly melodic and harmonious piano-intro called Inception is too good to last: Spawn is cumbersome, heavy, unpleasant, demanding – and does not really care about beautiful melodies or harmonies. The (fictional) war subject is set to music adequately, but it is hard to digest.

Groovy rhythms dominate Throne Of Trepidation, which acts like a steamroller. I cannot find refrains or guitar solos made for eternity, but this is not the goal of HORIZON ABLAZE; the effect rather shows up through partly throttled, then augmenting rhythms. Obligatory background noises like machine gun fire or radio sequences, but also uncommon samples like the clapping of a typewriter underline the nightmarish impression.
As an example for this eerie and dark atmosphere I want to pick out the monolithic track Black Burden, which offers crushing chords causing an abhorrent but at the same time fascinating zest.
This schizophrenic effect is dispersed during the whole album. Modern Death Metal with sluggish interplays and accentuated, lumbering riffs dominate the oppressing scenery. After a while, some melodic details flash through among the shredder-groove corset. The band also adds a decent industrial vibe, whereby the voluminous bass plays an important role.

I think that the one or other listener gets knocked over by the grooves and rhythms on this album. In its entirety, this release seems to be bone-crushing and the band reaches the intended goal. You can expect hard-to-digest music, which touches and unsettles, but creates a rough and appealing charm.