I have still failed to visit the German Black Forest area for the last few years so why not make this journey instead in an aural form? "Black Forest" is the debut album by Tokyo based Death / Thrashers DEATH HORN who were created back in 2012. I don’t have that much information about these five Metalheads except of the fact that they made their first serious musical steps with a three track demo ("It Pierces Through The Brain") in 2013. Actually you can consider this seven tracker a mini album as there are two instrumentals featured amongst the setlist and the running time of "Black Forest" is quite short and clocks in clearly under the 30 minutes mark. Nevertheless I have to admit that I enjoy the short ride of their creations. There’s no denying that the horde’s Death / Thrash style has a slight blackened touch. Another fact I enjoy are the subtle melodies which are incorporated in the overall sound of these Japanese squad. This gives the band somehow a unique touch. Mostly DEATH HORN comes up with sharp guitar riffs and galloping rhythms, a healthy dose of speed without drifting into chaos (some doomy elements can be found as well), solid drumming and some variety in the vocal department. A real decent and honest performance without delivering something ground breaking new but still with a cool headbanging appeal. In case you have the opportunity just check out tracks like ‘Decaying World’ or ‘Wrath’ and visit the band’s site at www.facebook.com/deathhorn. I would recommend the album to all Metalheads who enjoy to discover excellent new outfits from around the globe and who like to have a look beyond their own nose.