Mouth of Madness - Event Horizon

Angry Metal Guy

As metalheads, there are many things we collectively appreciate about our musical genre, but one important component I often see lauded is originality. It’s not exactly a deal-breaker, but it can be exhilarating to listen to something treading unexplored territory. Indeed, a common complaint leveled against artists is calling a piece “derivative” or some such. If you count yourself amongst those who take umbrage with being unoriginal, then look no further than German duo Mouth of Madness and their debut album Event Horizon! After all, the pre-release literature simply spoils me for assurances that Event Horizon represents “an inspired band’s curious take on metal that, due to its originality, defies being easily tagged,” amongst other choice phrases. Fair’s fair, Event Horizon’s artwork does titillate the imagination, with a striking image enriched by stark colors. Fine, I’ll bite.

As my teeth sink in, it first becomes clear that Mouth of Madness are first and foremost practitioners of death metal. “Sex and Thanatos” opens up the album proper with some swedeath swagger and Morbid Angel chugging, while the following “Year of the Dog” offers a clearer picture of Event Horizon’s style. The guitars riff with thrashy abandon across a blackened tremolo-driven edge, as the drums consistently maintain a blast-beat pace. The lead guitars are sadly given scant little to do, outside of a few fun wails in “Worms.” Event Horizon’s production job is clean and crisp. It eschews the usual blunt force one might typically get with death metal, and I do rather like the soundscape. It feels minimalist in a way I fondly associate with early black metal without sounding like it was recorded in a garbage can, and allows one’s focus to rest squarely on the songcraft.

And yet, under this sharper focus, Event Horizon falls apart. Despite the aggression and fast pace, the riffs of songs like “Year of the Dog” or “Masaan” lack meaningful heft and rarely coagulate into a satisfying whole. Connecting the riffs in Event Horizon is a sea of bloat in the shape of melodically anemic passages that make Event Horizon’s 36-minute runtime feel much longer than it is. The particularly egregious midsection of “Worms” goes nowhere fast with directionless tremolos blazing away and wasting the song’s decent opening. The first half of “Fireborn” carries a similar aimlessness. If the intent of this guitar-work is to create a labyrinthine, snaking sensation across Event Horizon as a whole, then it needs more melodic intention and inspiration. I do like “At the Heart of the Unknown,” where a spartan intro builds black-metal discordance into a truly satisfying riff, although the song does overstay its welcome by about a minute. The ambient “Transhimalaja+,” which is spread across Event Horizon in three parts, is also strong in a vacuum. It’s well-made ambient music, but it’s a tonal clash with the rest of Event Horizon, as if it were from a different album.

Which is because it is! “Transhimalaja+” is a song by the German group Popul Vuh, or more specifically, a song written by Florian Fricke, a founding member of Popul Vuh.¹ Incomprehensibly, Mouth of Madness split Fricke’s six-minute “Transhimalaja+” into three asymmetrical parts and played them in reverse order across the album, entirely unaltered. It baffles me. It doesn’t tie Event Horizon together, since “Transhimalaja+” strikes a mysterious, almost ominous tone that the remainder of Event Horizon barely reflects. It also poorly serves the album’s pacing. “Worms” clumsily transitions into “Transhimalaja+ II” which in turn clumsily transitions into “Fireborn,” and then “Masaan” ends on a flimsy down-note that abruptly jumps to “Transhimalaja+ III.” Mouth of Madness’ implementation of “Transhimalaja+” crucifies Event Horizon on its own promise of originality. I doubt there’s a legal issue—considering that the promo blurb mentioned Popul Vuh, I charitably imagine the label must’ve gotten permission or some equivalent, but the implied legality doesn’t excuse the miserable laziness of it.²

It is a truly joyless endeavor to come down on a band like this, especially one like Mouth of Madness who’ve just released their first LP after over a decade. And yet, I can’t ignore that their inclusion of Florian Fricke’s “Transhimalaja+” is both baffling and insulting, and contributes to a discouraging debut. But I’ve yet to review a band where I don’t yearn for their growth and improvement. While their “curious take on metal” rings hollow, a solid cut like “At the Heart of the Unknown” does demonstrate that Mouth of Madness has potential. As with any artist, I will always want to see that potential realized, and I look forward to the day I can recommend Mouth of Madness to all. But guys, even if it’s as small as an ambient opener or interlude, write ’em yourself, for fucks sake.

Rating: 1.5/5.0
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps
Label: Darkness Shall Rise Productions
Websites: facebook | bandcamp
Releases Worldwide: July 16th, 2025

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