Thundering Hooves "Radiance" CS / CD

Just in from MERCENARY PRESS in the UK!

"On their first album “Vestiges”, while still remaining anchored in the extreme, Thundering Hooves placed their own take on the black metal sound within the wider heavy metal context, borrowing heavily from doom, death and older heavy metal sounds. “Radiance” sees the band fully embracing this traditional heavy metal heritage, woven together with the coarse and aggressive black metal thread which has always run through their music.

Lyrically, the tracks draw inspiration for a range of writings, predominantly gothic and folk horror, as well as psychogeography, blending these with personal experiences and moulding them into a warped yet coherent aesthetic that fits the archaic world that the band is trying to conjure through their music. A Howl from the Cloister is loosely based on the novel “The Monk” by Matthew George Lewis (1796), which chronicles a monk’s descent into vice and depravity after a life of rules and excessive discipline, while “Danse Macabre” alludes to Ingmar Bergman's classic 1957 film "The Seventh Seal".

Overall this marks a step up for Thundering Hooves, and sees the band indulging in more ambitious and dynamic song writing. From the use of guitar harmonies and recurring melodies to sudden blasts of pure speed, this album is an unashamed celebration of all things heavy metal.