CoC : Gospel of the Horns - A Call to Arms : Review

Gospel of the Horns - _A Call to Arms_
(Invictus Productions, 2002)
by: Matthias Noll (7 out of 10)

Various connections exist between Gospel of the Horns and Destroyer 666. The whole situation reminds me of the incestuous entanglements among Swedish bands like Dismember, Carnage, Nihilist and Entombed in the early '90s. The fact that Gospel of the Horns' music is as close to Destroyer 666's as Dismember was to Entombed further strengthens this comparison. Top songs from _A Call to Arms_, such as "Chaos Bringer" and "Vengeance Is Mine", could have been on D666's _Cold Steel... For an Iron Age_ without anyone noticing the difference. On a few other tracks GotH cruise along in a more rocking, slightly punkish way, utilizing an approach not all too different from an up-tempo Motoerhead track. My impression of _ACtA_ is that despite many similarities there's quite a noticeable gap between both groups. Considering the overall quality of the tunes and the consistency of the songwriting, GotH is clearly the weaker of the Australian twins. Furthermore, the production on _ACtA_ is a bit too clean. A rawer, louder and more ripping sound would have substantially increased the impact of GotH's deaththrash meets traditional metal style -- in fact, the sound on the _Eve of the Conqueror_ EP was more appropriate even if the difference is not huge. Even if I feel like I'm describing GotH too much in terms of another band, these two are just too close to avoid it. If you are a fan of D666 you will certainly enjoy GotH. Just expect Hellcunt and Co. to come in second for now.

(article published 28/4/2003)