{"id":22922,"date":"2014-09-29T00:00:41","date_gmt":"2014-09-29T00:00:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/?p=22922"},"modified":"2015-01-07T08:12:53","modified_gmt":"2015-01-07T08:12:53","slug":"album-review-audrey-horne-pure-heavy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/album-review-audrey-horne-pure-heavy\/","title":{"rendered":"AUDREY HORNE – Pure Heavy (2014) | Album \/ EP Reviews @ Metal Forces Magazine"},"content":{"rendered":"

AUDREY HORNE
Pure Heavy<\/strong><\/span>
\n\"\"
\nNapalm (2014)<\/span>
Rating: 9\/10<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\n\n\n
<\/td>\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n
\n
<\/span><\/div>\n<\/td>\n
\n
<\/span><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n

Pure Heavy<\/em> is the fifth album by Norway\u2019s Audrey Horne, and it seems that with each release they are getting bigger and bigger. Eleven tracks of glammed-up, high energy rock \u2019n\u2019 roll, this is a fantastic trip back into the heyday of 70s and 80s rock.<\/p>\n

What may surprise some of you who are not familiar with these guys is the fact that the line-up was originally formed by members of black metal legends Enslaved and Gorgoroth! However, if you\u2019re not a black metal fan do not let this minor detail put you off because Audrey Horne could well be the most authentic-sounding revival rock band you\u2019ve ever heard, and I can just imagine this quintet filling stadiums the world over.<\/p>\n

Just when you think that you\u2019ve had enough of pastiche rock \u2019n\u2019 roll, along comes a band that somehow fuses together so many previously enjoyed styles and yet laces it with heaps of entertainment and infectious melodies. How can something so new sound so timeless? It\u2019s almost like hearing Electric Light Orchestra reinvent The Beatles; combing that progressive meddling with cosmic hooks and glam rock strutting. With soulful vocals aplenty, soaring licks, sprigs of Black Sabbath<\/a>, flashes of AC\/DC, a fleck of Kiss, a tinge of traditional metal and a sugary topping and we\u2019re already under the spell of the angelic \u2018Wolf In My Heart\u2019; a true party anthem with ascending vocals that fuse Paul Stanley (Kiss) with Ozzy Osbourne. In fact, I keep on rewinding to certain segments astounded by this refreshing slab of rock.<\/p>\n

Hell, I could probably just write a review based around that opening track. Space doesn\u2019t permit though, so it\u2019s on with the show and the groove-tastic \u2018Holy Roller\u2019, and suddenly we\u2019re battered by a juggernaut riff that borders on power metal brilliance. Distinctly 80s, there\u2019s a cool marrying of straight up metal and cool melody. Maybe I\u2019m just imagining it all but for me this is so Ozzy-like, bringing to mind 2014\u2019s other slice of genius in Aug\u2019s Be Careful What You Wish For…<\/em><\/a> opus. Rarely since the mid 90s have I heard such a gorgeous melting of varied metal.<\/p>\n

The Thin Lizzy-styled groove of \u2018Out Of The City\u2019 is up next, which is another simple whiff of sublime melody only this time it\u2019s less metal and more pop-edged with that fizzing riff and steady drum nod. Each and every time these guys get you with a chorus that rises majestically out of the already smoking groove.<\/p>\n

\u2018Volcano Girl\u2019 is another upbeat rocker driven by that juddering riff, while \u2018Tales From The Crypt\u2019 begins with a 70s glam rock hand-clap stomp hinting at the Sweet, before transforming into a straight up head rocker. With each and every swipe however, the band aims at our ears there is a joy to behold.<\/p>\n

\u2018Diamond\u2019 is a lush, sweeping ballad complete with a drifting flute, but it\u2019s a mere precursor to the staggering \u2018Into The Wild\u2019 and \u2018Gravity\u2019; the former a simple slice of galloping New Wave Of British Heavy Metal, the latter a slow-building extravaganza with crashing cymbals and blues-edged nudging. And if this orgy of class isn\u2019t enough, we\u2019re finished off with a trio of desserts; the Iron Maiden-esque tumble of \u2018High And Dry\u2019, the sizzling brooding of \u2018Waiting For The Night\u2019 and album closer \u2018Boy Wonder\u2019 which once again hints at that cool, breezy Ozzy-style of bubbling metal.<\/p>\n

And there you have it; Audrey Horne possibly crossing the line in a dead heat with Aug and Hands Of Orlac<\/a> for my albums of the year.<\/p>\n

Neil Arnold<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

AUDREY HORNEPure Heavy Napalm (2014)Rating: 9\/10 Pure Heavy is the fifth album by Norway\u2019s Audrey Horne, and it seems that with each release they are getting bigger and bigger. Eleven tracks of glammed-up, high energy rock \u2019n\u2019 roll, this is a fantastic trip back into the heyday of 70s and 80s rock. What may surprise […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[24,1563],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-22922","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-album-ep-reviews","category-audrey-horne"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22922","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22922"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22922\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":22928,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22922\/revisions\/22928"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22922"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22922"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22922"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}