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Horisont: Odyssey
Horisont Odyssey CD Album Review

Horisont: Odyssey

(Classic) Melodic Hard Rock/Metal
4.0/5.0

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Rise Above Records
Words: Craig Hartranft
Added: 16.09.2015

There are some possible clues to the nature and sound of Gothenberg's Horisont. One, in the photo below, the band looks like a bunch of hippies from the early Seventies. Then again, they could pass for 21st century alt rock hipsters. Get them a latte. Then there's the album artwork, straight from Seventies era sci-fi novel. I'm thinking a Perry Rhodan serial space opera paperbacks (and I bet you don't remember those).

Horisont Odyssey Band Photo

Horisont

You could conclude then that Horisont plays classic hard rock touched with some blues, space, and psychedelic rock, maybe a tad early prog, possibly a concept. And you'd be right. Odyssey is the band's fourth album, and that's basically the formula. And, according to the band, it's a concept album, concerning "a supreme race of mysterious beings who experiment with the creation of life and start to populate planets around the universe. And this is the story of one of those planets." Often the remind my of the Virginia-based space rock band Corsair, yet less atmospheric and ethereal.

But, you might add some other nuances. Horisont works with a large amount of twin guitars, in harmony and in solo, a modicum of moderation and swiftness in arrangements, and soaring vocals bolstered by harmonious vocal arrangements. Additionally, they can introduce some heaviness as with Blind Leder Blind, Back on the Streets, or Bad News, both riff monsters. With these things folded into the mash, Horisont sounds a lot like early proto-metal, even mimicking the origins of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal. As for the progressive rock angle, you might hear some of that in the two longest numbers, Odyssey and Timmarna. The former balances heaviness and against lighter moments, but also has some flaming guitar solos. The latter is similar, yet leans more towards a more subdued feeling with lighter, not so flaming, guitars and a swell of deeper vocal arrangements. Overall, Horisont's Odyssey is solid and entertaining accomplishment, perhaps a tad fat in the number of songs (Break The Limit and Red Light are kind of boring), but well-crafted and engaging melodic hard rock with psychedelic and space rock influences. Recommended.

Horisont - Bad News


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In Short

Horisont's Odyssey is solid and entertaining accomplishment, perhaps a tad fat in the number of songs but, nonetheless, well-crafted and engaging melodic hard rock with psychedelic and space rock influences. Recommended.

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