Album Review: Horn of The Rhino - Weight Of Coronation

As also seen on The Klepto's Guide:

For a band that's labeled as a thrash doom metal on The Metal Archives, I really can't say I heard much thrash at all. Horn of the Rhino is a pretty solid doom band, and although I was surprised to see them forming, getting signed and releasing a full-length album all in 2010, I then realized that it is the band Rhino, just under a new name (for legal reasons it says). Oh well, Rhino is new to me too, so it's all kosher.
I'm not going to lie, what drew me to this album was the artwork. Something about a pregnant skull-faced woman speaks to me. Maybe I'm deranged or secretly a serial killer, but bitchin' artwork is bitchin' artwork. Just like the Infectious Grooves and The Beards enticed me with a name, Weight Of Coronation drew me in from the picture on the cover. It's also how I shop for books, and it hasn't let me down yet (take that you naysayers!).
Anyway, Horn of The Rhino is a decent doom band, with a tiny bit of fuzz that would be prevalent in a stoner band - but we are not calling this one stoner. Weight Of Coronation is their 1st/3rd (depending how you look at it) release and it's pretty damn enjoyable. There is a little for everyone here, some soul-crushing doomy depression, some pumped-up faster bits (I assume that this is the thrash that The Metal Archives was talking about, but I wouldn't call it that per se), and a bit of growl for the sludge fans out there. What is good about the album is that although it touches upon all of these styles and sounds, it doesn't dive too deep into any single one. This is also one of the weak points of the album, because it does switch around, it doesn't really take enough time (sometimes) to fully envelop the listener. Their main stand-out is also their main crutch. Horn of The Rhino walks a fine line.

I don't have much more to say about Horn of the Rhino or their album Weight Of Coronation that hasn't been said. It's decent doom metal, but it's not great. They dance around different sub-genres and styles, but never letting any of them evolve into what it could be. I'm not in a real rush to hear Rhino's other albums, but at the same time I won't shy away from them, they are just a band that is good for a listen, but not something I'm ever going to love. Facts are facts.

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Album Of The Week-Rhino-"Dead Throne Monarch" (2009)

The Album Of The Week is "Dead Throne Monarch" by Rhino.



Review:

"What would you get if you mixed sludge metal, doom metal, thrash, death metal and grunge (yes, grunge) in a heavy iron cauldron? You would get an album called Dead Throne Monarch with a side of Rhino. Yes, I know that is an over-used opening style, but when you hear this music you will understand. It threatens to defy the very idea of being stuck in any one genre. This is infectious, groove-filled, heavy music that is not unlike getting hit repeatedly with a brick and liking it!
Every so often you will come across a band that quite unexpectedly delivers everything you did not know you were looking for at that very moment. The last time this happened for me was back in the Fall of 2007 when I first encountered the French act Gojira. It was a live show and as soon as they began my jaw dropped. Heavy, intense, and just, well, heavy! When I first hit play on the opening title track, Rhino induced a similar reaction.

The first sound you hear sounds like vocalist Javier Galvez is removing his vocal cords through sheer will. It is enough to give you momentary pause, but before it sinks in the guitars hit with this heavy sludgy riff that reinforces the vocal cord vomitous that the track began with. "Dead Throne Monarch" proceeds to run roughshod through the musical gamut from sludge to thrash to grunge, thus keeping you off guard as to what to expect.

The title sludger is followed by "Reins of the Warlord," a track that retains the Rhino sound demonstrated in the prior track, while being a bit more of an uptempo thrasher. That is followed by the epic "Earth Reclaims the Usurper." This one is decidedly more along the doom/sludge line, and again retains that distinctive Rhino-ness that permeated the first couple of tracks.
The fourth track sees the band letting their grunge flag fly. After hinting at it a couple of times throughout the opening songs, "Bahamut" lets loose wit a heavy sludge attack that seems to have been directly inspired by Alice in Chains, with perhaps a touch of Danzig. Listen as Galvez frees his vocal cords from the sludgy, blood-soaked shackles and delivers a haunting pained wail the late Layne Staley would have been proud of. Alice in Chains was always the "most metal" band to emerge the grunge scene, and this tune seems to play out what it might have been like had they gone all the way into metal territory.

If nothing else, Rhino keeps you guessing what is coming next while continuing to deliver on the promises made early on. Dead Throne Monarch is an absolutely punishing dose of relentless brutal metal. Listening to this is likely to cause bruises. With a total of ten tracks clocking in just north of seventy-minutes, there is ample opportunity to be drawn into the sludgy surge. Guaranteed to leave battered, beaten, and thoroughly satisfied.

Hailing from Spain, this trio has only been around since 2004, with this being their sophomore release, they are fast proving to be a band to keep an eye on. I am unsure how far into mainstream recognition they will go, but if there is justice they will be discovered.

Bottomline. This is one of those albums that jumps ahead early and is bound to be among my favorites come the end of the year. If you are a metal fan this is an absolute must own. There can be no questions. Dead Throne Monarch will be yours, you will recognize the excellence. It is inevitable.

Highly Recommended. (Chris Beaumont, Draven99's Musings)

Track Listing:

01. Dead Throne Monarch
02. Reins Of The Warlord
03. Earth Reclaims The Usurper
04. Bahamut
05. Pale Horses Coming
06. Funebre
07. Wolf Among Black Sheep
08. Promise Of A Storm
09. Wendigo
10. Horned Crown

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Rhino Updates

Spanish heavy rockers Rhinohave finalized the track listing for their second album, Dead Throne Monarch, due after the summer via Arctic Music Group. The CD was recorded at WorkShop studios in Bilbao and The Room studios in Barcelona. The mix and mastering was handled by Gorka Dresbaj at The Room. The artwork was created by ilustrator Rafael Garrés who has previously worked with DC Comics.

Dead Throne Monarch track listing:


01. Dead Throne Monarch
02. Reins Of The Warlord
03. Earth Reclaims The Usurper
04. Bahamüt
05. Pale Horses Coming
06. Funebre
07. Wolf Among Black Sheeps
08. Promise Of Storm
09. Wendigo
10. Horned Crown


Check out audio samples on the band`s MySpace page.


For more information, visit www.hornoftherhino.com.

Rhino Updates

Spanish heavy rockers Rhino have posted a rough-mix version of a new song, "Reins of the Warlord," on their MySpace page. The track comes off the group`s forthcoming second album, Dead Throne Monarch, due this summer via Arctic Music Group. 7th Gate Records and Odio Sonoro will make a very limited digipack edition of the new album that will be available only at the band`s gigs, through mail-order and selected stores. The artwork will be created by the ilustrator Rafael Garrés, who is currently working with DC Comics.

Rhino`s most recent CD, Breed the Chosen One (2007), will be released in North America via Arctic Music Group in January 2009.


For more information, visit www.hornoftherhino.com.