Horrendous Invite You Inside ‘Ontological Mysterium’

When Horrendous started working on their fifth album, Philly’s filthiest and finest death metal band wanted to acknowledge the bombast of late ’80s and early ’90s heavy metal, while blazing a path forward into uncharted territory. They were awfully successful, too. With ‘Ontological Mysterium’, these guys made a classic of their own.

‘Ontological Mysterium’ is now streaming in full on our YouTube channel HERE.

Horrendous are also hosting a listening party for their new album on Bandcamp this Wednesday at 9 pm EST. Fans can listen to ‘Ontological Mysterium’ while chatting with members of the band. RSVP for the listening party HERE.

‘Ontological Mysterium’ is a labyrinth. The deeper in you go, the more this album twists and churns, luring you toward some monstrous final battle. The riffs on the title track slice like the blades of an Apache helicopter, while the battle cry that opens “Cult of Shaad’oah” will make you feel like you’re about to carve up a volcano full of giant, flaming snake warriors.

But ‘Ontological Mysterium has other surprises up its robe. “Preterition Hymn” is a lament for the weary that cascades like sweet, sweet tears. And with elastic bass, fluorescent synths, a jazzy ride cymbal and a finger-tapped guitar solo that will bring you to your knees, “Aurora Neoterica” is about as sleek and sexy as death metal gets.

“Somehow these guys can take Iron Maiden, mesh it with ’90s prog-influenced death metal masters like Atheist, dispense with traditional metal song structures and create something that you’ve never heard before,” writes Metal Injection.

Angry Metal Guy says: “Horrendous have knocked out another triumph of intelligent, sumptuous progressive death, cementing themselves as one of the most important death metal bands of the past decade.

Here’s what the band has to say about their new album: “We can’t believe the time has come to unveil ‘Ontological Mysterium’! An indescribable amount of determination, suffering, joy, and love went into this record, from the first seeds of writing in early 2019, through periods of extreme rethinking and revision over the pandemic lockdown, to the adrenaline-fueled, highly experimental, and at times circus-like recording sessions. We feel that this is the most “Horrendous” album yet – the one that best distills who we are and celebrates how far we’ve come on this continuing journey. We hope that you enjoy OM, and that it breathes some wonder into your life during these trying times“.

‘Ontological Mysterium’ will be released on August 18, 2023 by Season of Mist. Pre-save the album HERE.  Pre-order it HERE.

Let your chariot ride!