It has been a relatively stressful week on my part. I've been involving myself in everything from band practice, bass practice, album reviews, promo reviews, going to gigs, getting my groove on listening to acoustic, Rock, Metal, rockabilly blues and even Dance music. All I wanted to do on this Sunday evening was chill, eat some food, listen to some music and perhaps write a review. Steinmetal (my editor in chief) at Metal Temple threw on top of my requested reviews another little something by a band called HORRIFYING. Looking at the genre from first impressions, I honestly didn't know if I was going to enjoy listening to this. I stand much corrected.

The promo opens with a very eerie, creepy guitar effect that drags through the sound waves and takes your guard down with it. Immediately after this the listener is hit with shredding guitars and vocals straight from hell itself. Classic Thrash drumming is combined with dueling guitars which form that evil and surprisingly groove orientated sound that is HORRIFYING. This band takes the Black / Death / Thrash norms that have attached themselves to the genre and throws them away, adding new and exciting things that keep it fresh and interesting. I am genuinely impressed and find myself really enjoying the song writing and diversity of the structure. Elements of Doom and experimental stick themselves to this band giving HORRIFYING a different and somewhat pleasing element. Definitely not your average, run of the mill recordings. Guitar tone is huge and cuts through well. The vocal style is very dark, gruesome and haunting. When every instrument is played all together the vocals are a tad overpowering and it takes away from the excellent tone of the sludge filled slamming guitars.

Going into the third track on this EP, "Petrifying Hallucinations", you can hear how much the guitar players in the band like to play with their effects. The sound they have created is both creative and interesting. It is a maelstrom of effects that prepares you for the progressiveness and technicality of the next track. The drummer of this band is very talented, being able to play different rhythms from the rest of the song on his ride cymbal creating a very cool effect that appreciators of technical metal could get in to. The brutality and intensity of this song is insane! Mid song guitar solos that will melt your face and then straight back into the intensity of the drums and vocals. As the song comes to an end I am left wanting for more what HORRIFYING has to offer.

As a sum up I really enjoyed "Euphoric Existence". The group has a lot to prove to the Black Metal scene that they perform in and have a lot of potential for success. Personally I have not always been a fan of all Black Metal that I've listened to but HORRIFYING have converted me. If I was to listen to this band live it would stay with me and leave me wanting for more. I am most interested to see the material that this band produces in the future.