GOSPEL OF THE HORNS Eve Of The Conqueror CD-EP (2000)

Before the full-lengths, before the reputation was cemented in international underground circles, there was Eve of the Conqueror, the 2000 mini-album that announced Gospel of the Horns as something worth paying attention to from Melbourne to Malmö.

It's leaner and rawer than what followed, which is exactly the point. The production has that early-2000s Australian underground quality, all sharp edges and no padding, and the songs hit with the directness of a band that had been sharpening their sound in dingy rehearsal spaces and not worrying about anyone's approval. As a document of where Australian black/thrash metal was finding its footing, it's indispensable, and as a standalone slab of aggressive music it still holds up without needing any historical footnotes to justify itself.

CD-EP, 2000 mini album. Australian release.

Fans of: Destroyer 666, Armoured Angel, Nocturnal Graves, Destruktor.