THE BLACK MORIAH “Road Agents of the Blast Furnace”

Folter Records, 2019

Music: Black/Thrash Metal

Website: http://www.theblackmoriah.com/

Duration: 51:10 minutes (12 tracks)

Country: United States of America

THE BLACK MORIAH play black/thrash metal with an ace up their sleeve. Hailing from the land of The Cowboys, Dallas/Ft. Worth, Texas, the group has an Old West theme. Six shooters, lynch mobs, fast horses and sharp spurs leave a hoof print that many cloven-hoof peers fail to imprint. The Old West is something normally reserved for country bands, which is a shame, because Country cannot, nor will not attempt to relate the brutality of America’s western frontier. THE BLACK MORIAH’s thrashing style is the perfect vehicle for riding “To Hell on a Fast Horse.”

“Road Agents of the Blast Furnace” is not your average Louis L’Amour book, though; it’s saturated with supernatural themes. Nefarious screams relate sinister folklore such as the apocalyptic “To Hell on a Fast Horse.” American black metal coinsures might experience some déjà vu in the band’s overall approach, as Zawicizuz formerly swung the ax for USBM top brass, ABSU. The morbidity of the old west works well with black metal, so the album/band makes sense. The group puts the thrash on hold to pay tribute to one of the all-time great Norwegian black metal groups, GORGOROTH. Old Nick was definitely by their side on this track’s hell-fire, medium stride. The vocals, which were especially strong on the “Under the Sign of Hell” album, are emulated to perfection here. Seek out THE BLACK MORIAH track, “Elixir of Wealth” for more heinous black metal imbued with greater speed.

THE BLACK MORIAH waste no time in their sonic onslaught, kicking the album off with the speed-picking, blast-beating title track. There is a memorable quality to the chorus lines, which continues through the album. Sin is a theme inherent in the Old West, and the group explores the topic of lust with “The Devil’s Whores.” “Death Valley Days” features an instrumental intro that fully realizes the unforgiving, wind-swept, cactus-sharp desert in question. While the album primarily works within a metal context, this track lends a tinge of Western folk music, though minimal, which made the album more genuine.

“Road Agents of the Blast Furnace” marks a decade of black-powdered thrash metal for the Texas group. It’s only the second release, so the band’s style and themes still seem fresh, and is the perfect companion to their debut, “Casket Prospects.” The USBM scene has always been an underground commodity; so many readers may be seeing this name for the first time. A brief exploration of song titles, album art and music the group has to offer, make the band memorable, though. “Road Agents of the Blast Furnace” showcases an elite band from this serpentine rhumba.

Tracklist:

1. Road Agents of the Blast Furnace

2. The Devil’s Whore

3. Say It With Bullets

4. To Hell on a Fast Horse

5. Death Valley Days

6. Palaver

7. Elixir of Wealth

8. Scholar of Tongues

9. Twisted Awe

10. Just a Taste

11. Ratwater