Album Review: Audrey Horne - Waiting For The Night
Reviewed by Paul Hutchings
If like me, you were at Sonisphere in 2010, you may just have been lucky enough to have seen Norwegian ‘supergroup’ Audrey Horne on the Jagermeister Stage in the middle of the afternoon. In my opinion, Audrey Horne are one of the most underrated bands in Europe. Although the band initially consisted of members of several black metal bands, their music is hard rock with a rock ‘n’ roll feel rather than the usual dark music that the members would play by night. With a stable line-up for the past decade, the band comprises Toschie (vocals), Ice Dale (guitar - Enslaved) , Thomas Tofthagen (guitar - ex-Sahg), drummer Kjetil Greve and Espen Lien (bass) , with Kim Gulbrandsen adding keyboards and backing vocals in the live setting. Having only ever played seven UK shows, this album may be as close as I ever get to seeing them again!
‘Waiting for the Night’ contains 16 tracks recorded in their hometown of Bergen in 2018. Whilst the set list unsurprisingly draws heavily from their last album, 2018’s ‘Blackout’ but it also draws tracks from the other five albums that the band have made. The enthusiastic crowd provide plenty of atmosphere during the set, whilst the band demonstrate their worth and why they have a reputation as one of the most energetic live bands today. Opening with ‘This is War’, one of seven from ‘Blackout’, Audrey Horne is in fine form, tight and crisp with Toschie’s soaring vocals as endearing as ever. Highlights include the sole track from debut ‘No Hay Banda’, the dark and moody ‘Weightless’, the thumping ‘Threshold’ and the poignant slower paced ‘Sail Away’, one of two tracks from the band’s self-titled release, which changes the temperature without killing the atmosphere.
The momentum is maintained throughout the set, with the pace on the final song ‘Straight Into Your Grave’ as intense as it was at the start of the show. Live albums are often a challenge to review. Great if you were there, otherwise you wonder how representative it is. Whilst there is no doubt this has been tweaked to provide the best quality possible, ‘Waiting for the Night’ is an excellent representation of a quite fabulous band at its peak.
Audrey Horne release 'Waiting For The Night' via Napalm Records on February 28th.
