Review: Hor – III

Review by Jeger

Hor – III

Record Label: Metal Throne Productions

Year: 2026

Rating: 7.5/10

It wasn’t always this way… It’s been through the bitterest suffering – torrents of agony pouring down from storm clouds of perdition’s rain and this uncanny ability to see the world and its people for what and who they truly are – that we’ve developed our condemning worldview… The place is grim; this sordid place where Nihilism and Misanthropy are conceived. And from within its dank corridors and dimly-lit chambers, you can hear it – emanating from somewhere within the backdrop as would the guttural groan of a Daemon in bestial slumber – the sound of True Black Metal; True Greek Black Metal, but not the saturated theatrical/dramatic kind, only the purest black essence will do. Enter HOR… And with them their latest LP, “III”, released on May 6 via Metal Throne Productions.

HOR is very much like SAD: both are Greek and both make BM of the Scandinavian-influenced kind. You won’t find yourself in the presence of His Majesty at the Swamp, nor will you be passing through the Passage to Arcturo. Instead, experience the maniacal “Reborn in Scorn” – like a more stripped-down version of some “Rabid Death’s Curse” era lost cut by Watain or perhaps something off of Taake’s “Kong Vinter”. Tonality is rigid like cast iron with treble gleaming through the surface-level mix. This is harsh, frigid even… And like a Banshee’s wail are the vocals… Racing through the following track, “Into Great Nothing”, upon dense, thudding blast-beats and propulsive riffs. Bass humming underneath the surface; its fluid buzz snaking through each passage, providing warmth and texture.

Hor

“III” is an album that compositionally turns up its share of guesswork as each shift in tempo hits with a certain level of shock, and somehow it all feels so familiar, all the same. About 2/3 into this thing and I’m beginning to feel a bit weary. The music’s intensity, paired with the clashing nature of its sound quality, is becoming overwhelming. I do appreciate aggressive Black Metal a la Kanvass, Tsjuder and Revenge, but I feel like “III” is just missing something; something that would make its absorption a bit less intoxicating – drunk on agony – set into panic mode by the heat of anticipation. A deeper sense of harmony, perhaps or a deeper focus on tonal depth would’ve given “III” that coveted Deströyer 666 “Unchain the Wolves” sound: brutal and unrefined yet malleable in comparison.

The overall vibe? Fucking misery, my friend… Would you have it any other way? Music for the lament and for the rue. Tinged with an animalistic sense of rage and a very human sense of simple anger throughout. A grittier version of Mgła? Sure. Probably the simplest way to put it. Similar despairing vibes and heart-sinking melodies. To see the world and the people in it for what and who they truly are, remember? No willful ignorance for HOR. The time for hatred has come! Spewing their venomous vitriol towards those who deserve it: the degenerative, the common and the ignorant. “III” – more than a valiant effort musically, but not by much. A conceptual specimen though and a fine example of true highly aggressive BM that is otherwise not found very often in Hellas.