- You would think that with members from bands such as Gorgoroth and Enslaved that Audrey Horne would reek of Norwegian black metal, but the band's debut, No Hay Banda, has little if any extreme elements. Instead, Audrey Horne's debut combines facets of grunge, gothic, post-industrial, and even elements of power metal to fashion an intoxicating elixir for the aural senses.David Lynch plays an inspirational role for this outfit, from the band's moniker (taken from Sherilyn Fenn's character - she's the one with an affinity for cherry stems, in Lynch's Twin Peaks) to the CD's title (taken from Mulholland Drive). Even the music seems inspired by the many worlds of Lynch: it is at times darkly humorous, starkly disturbing, and always statically intense.
The music on No Hay Banda has a decidedly post-grunge vibe coursing through it. The vocals come right out of Alice In Chains and Faith No More and the guitars riff off the likes of Tool and Soundgarden. There's even a little of The Cult displayed on Deathhorse. The driving force behind the band is its rhythm section, with drummer Kjetil and bassist Tom keeping things tight, sombre, and righteous. Guitarists Thomas and Arve pound out some heavy rhythms, chunky riffs, and melodic interludes. The solos are excellent and sure to impress fans of driving rock and roll. Keyboard player Herbrand infuses the band with a sense of sardonic beauty and vocalist Toschie soars with the best grunge ever fashioned.
The eradication of the Seattle sound by a new generation led to the stagnation of a promising genre. Now, as more and more bands push the threshold of traditional hardcore and punk into challenging vistas, be they overtly metallic death and blackcore - or progressive mathcore and progressive plunge - the time has come for the Seattle sound to make its mark anew. Audrey Horne is poised as the vanguard and No Hay Banda is a most assured opening salvo.
