Band:	Mhorgl
Album:	Heresiarch
Style:	Black metal
Release date:	October 03, 2011
A review by:	Doc G.

01. Inheriting the Mantle of Power
02. Ophidian Legacy
03. Black Wolf Militia
04. Ravenous Wargod
05. The Seed of Rebellion
06. Fallen
07. Hostis Humani Generis
08. Impiety Storm
09. Soliloquy
10. Terror Manifesto
11. The Hubris Of The Departed
12. Purity

Hot damn, there's something about blackened thrash that really gets the blood flowin'. Deströyer 666, Aura Noir, old Toxic Holocaust, Skeletonwitch...All great black-thrash to help get your stoke on. Well, let's throw Mhorgl onto the pile, shall we?

So looking at the promo photos & album cover (as well as origin), it's easy to believe these guys are some sort of Deströyer 666 worship band. Well, in a sense, they are. The approach is strikingly similar, and Heresiarch definitely pushes all the same buttons Deströyer 666 does, but with a few changed elements. There definitely is a slight tinge of punkish rock n roll tossed in from time to time (most notably in "Ravenous Wargod"), bringing me in mind of a touch of Kvelertak. It's got a slightly "smaller" feel than Deströyer 666, seemingly based more off of frantic riff-work than creating a massive steamrolling sound.

Unfortunately, Heresiarch is not without flaw. The constant Deströyer 666 comparisons seen in this review don't come lightly. Despite executing the sound extremely well, Mhorgl too frequently sound like a poor mans version of their fellow Australians. "Ophidian Legacy", "Fallen" and "Ravenous Wargod" are all tracks drenched in their own incredibly entertaining personality, it's a shame they didn't explore this a little more deeply.

...And those acoustic interludes. Having one can sometimes act as a nice segue between two halves of an album, or offer a nice break, but three is just overkill. Three acoustic interludes on an album like this really just snuffs out a lot of the intense energy that makes up the rest of the album.

All this being said, Mhorgl are really onto something. I think it might be another album or two before we see these guys at their full potential, but there's no harm in jumping on the bandwagon early with this extremely solid, albeit not-quite-amazing release.