Terzij de Horde - Presskit

Terzij de Horde: Presskit

Biography

“[Terzij de Horde] have distinguished themselves by dint of a captivating, layered sound that blasts a black metal core with fragments of noise and heavy doses of melancholia. It is poetic, cerebral music that channels aggression and catharsis into something fruitful.”

Noisey US (Vice)

Terzij de Horde stands as a beacon of boundary-pushing black metal and hardcore intensity. Since their inception in 2009 the band has consistently built their reputation on a combination of complex, furious and dynamic songs and raging, emotional live shows.

Where other black metal bands keep audiences at a cold distance, Terzij de Horde forcefully pulls them close. The band's music is unquestionably black metal - but their energy and attitude is closer to grind, hardcore punk and the extreme edges of screamo. Their performances are marked by an intensity that is both palpable and infectious, inviting the audience into a shared space of catharsis and reflection.

“The longer you are immersed in the decibels, the further you are dragged along into the depths, the more you are convinced that you are watching the best band of the Netherlands playing here.”

OOR

Terzij de Horde is primarily about raw visceral energy and a whirlwind of contrasting emotions - from grief to rage to hope. But the band's lyrical focus combines this intensity and fire with deep reflections on the nature of life in a destructive and unequal world and time. The band members bring their backgrounds and experience in academia, education and activism to these reflections. Again, eschewing the simplistic romanticism of mainstream black metal, Terzij de Horde instead takes a stand in the chaotic heart of society, and challenges listeners to engage with its work on multiple levels. The band is outspoken in its activism and works to break the spell of cowardly reactionary politics that plagues so much of metal.

“Layering their rage with more rage (…) the crawling ugliness in TDH, one not that dissimilar to their neighbors in Amen Ra, has a surprisingly positive message.“

Terrorizer Magazine

“..we see Terzij de Horde carefully corralling harmony and discordance in a way which mirrors their thoughts thematically. 'Self' in itself is poetic; be it the lyrics, the performance, the overall passion, it is clear that Terzij de Horde will continue to be a force in music” Jon Rosenthal - Invisible Oranges

Musically, Terzij de Horde combines complex black metal compositions with doom metal, post metal and screamo elements, to create music that is closer to a raging fire than with black metal's coldness. The band draws energy and inspiration from the most progressive black metal (anything from Yellow Eyes and Krallice to Emperor), but also from the height of hardcore punk intensity (Integrity, Frail Body, Birds in Row) and wide-ranging influences such as Neurosis and Ulcerate.

As covered in scene reports by Invisible Oranges and Vice, Terzij de Horde has been a vital part of building the Utrecht black metal scene to make it a global force in experimental and progressive black metal, alongside bands like Laster, Verwoed and Grey Aura.

“Terzij De Horde is the best metal band of the Netherlands” Journalist Peter van der Ploeg of national newspaper NRC Handelsblad on Twitter after their show at Best Kept Secret festival.

Terzij de Horde and Dutch poet Hendrik Marsman

The name Terzij de Horde is old Dutch for 'set apart from the horde'. It is a line from the poem 'Einde' (Ending) by legendary Dutch poet Hendrik Marsman. Marsman is an inspiration to the band, as are many other authors and philosophers in the same dark, vitalistic vein. In 2015 Terzij de Horde created a limited edition book, including 14 translated poems of Marsman into English to commemorate the 75th year of Marsman’s passing. It was accompanied by a song with the texts of poems 'Wacht' and 'Lex Barbarorum', the first (and only) Terzij de Horde song in Dutch.

Reviews of releases and live shows

“The deep, layered black metal of Terzij de Horde is impressive, and leaves us wanting more”. Volkskrant

“Terzij de Horde’s mix of black metal, post hardcore, and post metal is anthemic and powerful, inciting an eventuality in what we all see is a collapsing world.” Jon Rosenthal for Invisible Oranges

“Despite its 30-minute runtime, [In One of These, I Am Your Enemy] is one of the densest albums I have heard in some time, and you will find yourself in awe of what the band has accomplished on this release.” Nine Circles

“Exceptionally strong, raging and challenging album.” Rock Tribune on ‘In One of These, I Am Your Enemy’

"Surprisingly some of the best Black Metal of 2015 was produced by bands who largely ignored the traditional aesthetic of the genre (though not, it should be added, its spirit), with Weg einer Freiheit, Terzij de Horde, and Regarde les Hommes Tomber each producing career-defining albums this year." NO CLEAN SINGING mentions 'Self' as one of the great records of 2015.

“The six songs can be angular and cerebral at times, but are never devoid of emotion. Every time they let a little light through in melancholic passages, which makes you fall completely for this completely crushing record.” 5/5 - Peter van der Ploeg, in national newspaper NRC Handelsblad

"They write good songs and deliver them with an unquestionable earnestness; the total package is hard to resist." Hammer Smashed Sound

“.... Relying less on dissonance and more on moving atmospherics than their debut ever suggested, this is a startling leap forward for a band already ahead of the game. The welding of slow-burning doom and cacophonic black metal returns here, but the hardcore punk assault has been toned down as the band edges closer to their musical ideals. As Alex put it: “There’s nothing more awe-inspiring in life than witnessing a band growing into its own beastly element of relentless, cathartic rage.” Lurker’s Path

“Even the loudest band of the festival, Utrecht-based metal band Terzij de Horde, had a full house. The corrugated roof was trembling under the crushing riffs of the band, whose fast blast beats and roaring vocals really aren't for everyone. On paper, that is, because here it was a full crowd you don't often see at metal shows, with hawaii shirts and polo shirts, and they stayed put.” National newspaper NRC Handelsblad about the show on Best Kept Secret Festival

"The style of coruscating walls of sound and the way it was wrung out reminded a bit of everything from Altar Of Plagues to the obvious Neurosis and Cult Of Luna and it hit like an incredibly well aimed brick." AveNoctum.com

"Terzij de Horde are glorious." Scene Point Blank

“Terzij de Horde are a Dutch post-black metal band who are really putting themselves on the map… and they definitely impressed live as well with a full sound and [they] really know how to perform and create the right atmosphere.” Metal-Exposure.com

"cutting-edge black metal band" Indie Indie

“After Motel Mozaique (also no metalfest), they now convincingly thrash the Casbah’s roof at Best Kept Secret.” 3voor12

Discography

2010 Terzij de Horde - 'A Rage of Rapture Against the Dying of the Light' self-released debut EP

2011 Terzij de Horde - 'A Rage of Rapture Against the Dying of the Light' EP re-released on vinyl by Antithetic Records (Kayo Dot, Fell Voices, Young & In The Way, The Great Old Ones).

2012 Terzij de Horde - 'A Chosen Hollow' a split 12” with fellow countrymen Starve on Badger Records

2014 Terzij de Horde - 'Seeping through the Cracks' (Neil Perry cover) contributed to a split in the Elemental Nightmares series also containing songs by Wildernessking, Waning and Mondvolland.

2015 Terzij de Horde - Wacht / Lex Barbarorum EP released alongside the book 'Hendrik Marsman - A Crooked Flower in Cosmos' Flailing Mouth'

2015 Hendrik Marsman - A Crooked Flower in Cosmos' Flailing Mouth' - a selection and translation by Terzij de Horde A selection of never before translated poems by one of the most distinguished Dutch poets, Hendrik Marsman.

2015 Terzij de Horde - 'Self Debut album on Burning World Records (lp), Consouling Sound (cd) and Tartarus Records (tape)

2022 Terzij de Horde - 'In One of These, I am your Enemy'. LP, cd and cassette on Consouling Sounds (lp, cd) and Tartarus Records (tape)

2023 Terzij de Horde / Ggu:ll - 'Van Grond'. LP on Consouling Sounds.

2024 Terzij de Horde - 'In One of These, I Am Your Enemy / Exposed, Barren and Often Windswept'. Double cassette box by Fiadh Productions