Having never heard Burial Hordes before, I wasn’t exactly sure on what to expect from this Greek four-piece and their latest EP release, Extinction. Just going off of the band’s moniker alone, I didn’t figure the guys were employing a form of power metal, stoner, ambient, or anything of an experimental nature as much as the odds of a black, death, or even thrash attack being offered up to the metal gods. So you can imagine how unsurprised I was to discover Burial Hordes dishing out evil and old-school death metal, a’la Incantation, country-mates, Dead Congregation (whom Burial Hordes‘ guitarist, K.T., also plays for as guitarist, T.K.), and Profanatica with an underlying semi-melodic,tremolo picked filled black metal aesthetic, recalling the likes and influences of Demoncy, Enshadowed, and early Naglfar running throughout this four song affair.

“Demise” opens Extinction out with some slow paced, heavy and dense, doom-y death tremolo riffing with a great little sinister melody flaring up. Vocalist, T.D., has a competent cavernous presence that is more death bellow than guttural roar. The man is clearly capable and adequate, if not a bit monotonous as well. Two minutes in and the song dives into speedier, blast filled territory that drives much of the track, while a sense of groove lurks beneath the surface at times. Fast riffing and blasts kick off “The World Ablaze” and its old-school death metal beatdown that honestly, tends to get a little tedious and boring until the 1:27 mark where things slow down into more effective doom tidings, achieving that awesome Incantation influence/feel into the mix. The track’s pacing quickly picks up again, eventually ending with a nice abrupt stop.

Extinction‘s second half is where things really start to shine. “Dawn of War” is a fast, blasting, balls out from the get go song that is easily more interesting than the EP’s previous two tracks. The Incantation/Dead Congregation influence is far less prevalent, with more engaging and twisting riffage and melody in its movements instead. Though drummer, F.V., blasts away much of the time, the track still manages to incorporate good pacing and solid change-ups within its  deathly black groove. EP closer “Hatred” begins with an epic feel in the slower riffing, giving an old Paradise Lost vibe before succumbing to blackened, blast driven fields, eventually melding into a mid-paced, slightly fat grooved  offering.

As I stated earlier, I was unsurprised by Burial Hordes‘ sound, but unsurprised does not mean it was  unwelcomed. The band has a really good and solid EP with Extinction. Though “Demise” and “The World Ablaze”have a few dull moments between them, “Dawn of War” and “Hatred” aptly make up for  it, and are ultimately more interesting and engaging, showcasing more than a love for Incantation and the likes. If nothing else, Extinction piques my interest enough to want to hear a proper full-length from Burial Hordes, being that more time and more material may just provide a bit “more” than Extinction, or at least half of Extinction, currently does.

 

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