Album Review: Drawn And Quartered - Lord of Two Horns
Reviewed by Sam Jones
Drawn And Quartered are one of those bands who you don’t see all too often but whenever they release new material you’ll always want to be in on what they’ve been cooking. Formed in 1992 originally as Plague Bearer, the band released two Demos before altering their name to Drawn And Quartered (though Plague Bearer would be resurrected a few years later as a side project by founding member Kelly Kuciemba), and after another Demo release the band would finally unveil their first full length work: 1998’s To Kill Is Human. After another Demo and their first EP, this would mark a slew of full lengths from the band in an uninterrupted near-yearly schedule. Things slowed down upon releasing 2012’s Feeding Hell Furnace and as 2018 rolled round, and The One Who Lurks was unleashed, it designated the longest yet gap between studio albums. Their most recent record, 2021’s Congregation Pestilence, was received with particular acclaim and now, with their ninth full length inbound, Lord Of Two Horns, the band once again seize an opportunity to acquire a host of new fans to their catalogue. Lord Of Two Horns sees Drawn And Quartered team up for the first time with Nuclear Winter Records for a June 27th release date. These guys are hideously underrated if you ask me for every time they’ve undergone an a new release it’s always of the highest calibre yet seems to be criminally overlooked. It’s why I was more than ready to dive into this new record, Lord Of Two Horns.
As a band, Drawn And Quartered are not an act renowned for possessing a breadth of variety contained within their songwriting. When a record begins, if you’re a longtime fan, you know how things are going to go and generally you won’t take issue with this. I mean, when you take in the sheer scope of the soundscape they unveil for you, and continues to do so, you’ll be taken easily by the morbid grandiosity their sound evokes. The band aren’t here to comfortably ease you in before the fun starts; from the first second Drawn And Quartered throw you into the deepest maelstrom of their creation and should you survive its only by clinging on for dear life. The production thus rendered gives this record an animalistic, no-holds-barred vibe as if the band are rabidly teething away at your flesh just begging for that ultimate order to dig in and chew. Its owing to the sheer force behind their performance that many who would raise their hands in favour for songwriting variety will find themselves thoroughly content with what the band provide herein.
Though Drawn And Quartered’s sound hearkens back to old school days of death metal I continue to be gladdened by the implementation of modern production and mixing standards within their releases. Ever since my discovery of them back on The One Who Lurks, these guys have always been a band I can count on for that sickening, impulsive, slaughtering quality that’s so deliciously aspired for in this style of metal. When you listen keenly to the band’s performance it’d be easy to say the bass is the majority of the strength to which the mix is providing; whilst the bass is heavy on this record it’s the culmination of everything else together that gives this album such a tumultuous, swirling calibre. The drums hardly stop for a moment, foaming for any excuse to break out into blast beats, and the guitar work, whether highlighting more nefarious licks or breakneck solos, can be heard with pristine ease as it weaves in and out of the band’s collective assault. Lord Of Two Horns has a lot going on but at no instance will you feel like its too much; the band have had plenty of experience in balancing everything to a competent standard wherein one can face the full medley of their carnage face on without the need to wince.
Quartered have always boasted exceptionally talented musicians and drummer Simon Dorfman is no exception; his drumming has always been great but Lord Of Two Horns really exemplifies just how great he is. There isn’t a track, nor a minute sequence on record, where his performance dips anywhere below downright maniacal. The man plays like a warrior possessed, his feet hammering away at those bass drums like they owe him money; I certainly hope the kit he plays is designed to outlast his ability to batter them at live shows because you can feel the frenzy that grips him. Even when his ferocity subsides time and again you can feel the residual power lying in wait before he’s given the green light to go to town once more. His drumming is a significant aspect of Lord Of Two Horns’ overarching quality, imbuing the band’s performance with a drive and tempo that’ll see your heart naturally rev up multiple gears. His blast beats embody that rich 90s death metal aesthetic whereby he’s evidently going nuts on his kit but its extremely well coordinated and at no point will you feel like he doesn’t have things under his control. This is all the more prevalent when you hear him break formation and whip out a few fill-ins periodically before falling in line once more with blast beats or bass drumming. The transitions between various phases of demonic drumming is absolutely seamless.
It’s striking to remember that Herb Burke has been at the helm of vocals for over thirty years now and yet his vocals seemingly get deeper with every release the band unleash. We also have to acknowledge that, since 2009, he’s performed vocals whilst fulfilling the bass slot too so I don’t know how so much talent can be contained within a single person. The vocals don’t do much more than what you’ll immediately hear but with such a band we don’t need them to; they need to provide the crushing, guttural timbre that matches Drawn And Quartered’s songwriting and move on. If anything, owing to the band’s whirlwind style of death metal where they barely slow or stop for anything, these vocals are an unusual grounding force whereby they underpin everything else that’s going on around them. Its why gutturals like these are so integral to a band as we need to something to hang on to all the while the band perform all these gnarly pieces around us. That said the vocals aren’t overly deep, should one really listen you may be able to make out a bit of intelligibility, however Drawn And Quartered’s vocals act secondarily as the lynchpin maintaining the band’s flurries in check.
In conclusion, Lord Of Two Horns is a record that you’ll start up and within the open seconds you’ll have it figured out. The band aren’t here to try and deliver some sermon or expostulate some ideology, it’s a record containing eight tracks of purified, venomous death metal doing what death metal should: fast and fun. It’s the kind of record you can easily turn your brain off for and just kick back as every iota of evil and malice comes your way and around every corner. But we mustn’t think that just because this is Drawn And Quartered’s philosophy, that the record is some sloppy product. It’s an extremely well produced and tightly played record that will see everyone at their stations doing what they need to at every given moment. Where a drum track needs to take point, its there; if the vocals are needed to deliver a more guttural, punishing injection, they won’t be far away. Listening to Drawn And Quartered is like ordering your favourite steak; you’ve enjoyed who knows how many pieces just like this, but there’s something juicier and more satisfying the way these guys deliver the same product. From start to finish the band throw you into the grinder with little suggestion the onslaught is waning anytime soon, and it’s the kind you’ll be pleading to receive again upon its climax. Its always a great time with these guys.
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