The US Speed / Thrash Metal warriors in THE HORDE are said to be influenced by such acts as VENOM, CELTIC FROST, METALLICA, KREATOR, SLAYER, DESTRUCTION, CRO-MAGS, etc. – and of course IRON MAIDEN. So, perhaps a question is how well all of their influences have been transfered into their music, and how audible they come through the music they do? Well, perhaps it’s even more irrelevant to start pondering something like that because in the end it’s always the music that counts more than anything else really. THE HORDE’s debut full-length studio album, “The Blackened Reign”, is a darn pleasing package of raw and unpolished Speed / Thrash and Heavy Metal, bringing some of those aforementioned names to mind, especially the mighty MAIDEN and CELTIC FROST at times. What I found kind of strange actually, if you peel all Death Metal influences off Arlington-based DECEASED’s skin and strip down some of the most technical and trickiest out of their stuff, you have got something in your hands that could sound a bit like THE HORDE. At least musically they come pretty close to early DECEASED sound here and there – and hell, even THE HORDE’s vocalist / bassist Duncan partly manages to remind me of King Fowley of DECEASED – as well as lightly Tom G. Warrior (TRIPTYKON, ex-CELTIC FROST, etc.) occasionally with his rough grunted out vocal parts. The songwriting is on a very good level; the songs are varied and kind of summary of both more melodic but still hard-edged Speed / Heavy Metal and aggressive, in-yer-face Thrash Metal styles – accompanied with some Hardcore / Punk ingredients, adding more underground-ish feel and vibe into the whole outcome. The Murray-Smith guitar duo’s influence becomes rather evident in the melodic sections of the songs, which I find great. Who of us wouldn’t love MAIDEN anyway? “The Blackened Reign” is by no means any that outstanding or revolutionary record from THE HORDE, but it’s still an entertaining and well executed enough tour de force from these Rock Islanders that surely grabs many of our attention, no doubts. www.myspace.com/hordemetal, www.stormspell.com