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Biography : Horde

In 1994, the German record company known as Nuclear Blast established a music contract with an anonymous resident who was thought for a long time to be from the country of Norway but was actually a resident of Australia with the alias of Horde. There he recorded an album most Christian metal fans know as the legacy of Hellig Usvart. This was the first black metal album released by a major label in the Christian music society.

Horde has been traditionally referred to as Anonymous over the many years, but since then, so many have discovered the true identity of Anonymous. Anonymous was the talented Jayson Sherlocke, the ex-Mortification and ex-Paramaecium drummer.

It must have caused such a scare that death threats are rumoured to have been made against Mark Staiger in Nuclear Blast and against Horde. In 1995, right when Steve Rowe made his foundation for the record company Rowe Productions, he decided to buy the remaining copies of the album and distribute them world-wide. Soon, the subject of "holy unblack" metal grew so large (in Christian music perspective, of course) that everyone in the Christian music society that listened to this type of music desided to refer to all Christian black metal as holy unblack. This stirred the hearts of many satanists and in my own opinion, it just proves that God works in mysterious ways. Even if He must use black metal to bring people to Christ, His Will will always be done.

There always seems to be a rumor being passed on from person to person about a new album due by Horde in the future. Everytime the rumor ends up getting to me, I have to trace it back from person to person until I find the source of it, and everytime it ends up just being another rumor that they heard and decided to spread. Therefore, I am going to end all rumors right now. Here is some handy information you might want to know...

In an interview between Wreathe of Thorns magazine and Steve Rowe from Rowe Productions, in Wreathe of Thorns magazine on page 11, issue 9, July 1999, the following was said :

WoT - "We constantly (I mean constantly !!) get asked about the prospects of a new Horde album. Can you please clarify this here and now ?"

S.R. - "No, there is no new album. The 'Horde' member is not interested. There will be a re-release of the first album though, so it will be available from the 'Rowe Productions' office in the States later in the year. It will be available for wholesale as well as retail. Somewhere around $22. (US dollars)"

There you go. Now whenever someone tells you about a new album coming out by Horde, you can either refer them to this website or to that magazine title, because most likely there will never be another Horde album. Hellig Usvart is unique in that it will be Horde's only project ever !

Although many people, Christian or non-Christian, will state that calling it "holy unblack" instead of the original black will not change anything and that it is just sugar-coating what it really is, well they are wrong. In my experience with music, people, and people's reaction to names and titles, it completely changes their whole point of perspective on the subject. Also, in giving these contemporary Christian styles a different title, we, as Christians, are showing that there is a difference between the secular music and the Christian music. We as Christians are on this world, but not of this world. We want to be separate from the ways of the world and not a part of them.

Source : http://come.to/legacyofhorde