I'd never call myself a fanatical devotee of Horna, yet it seems whenever I dip into the Finnish band's extensive discography I come out more than satisfied, and latest EP Kuolleiden Kuu is a small yet tasty slice of darkness, very good without quite being unmissable. Recorded during the Hengen Tulet sessions in 2015, Horna have crafted a solid set of black metal bangers, at moments oddly catchy for them, that prove even their studio offcuts are worth a listen! Opener Uskon Pauhu is probably the best piece present, an enjoyable stomper that has both a dark atmosphere and a weirdly rock n'roll sense of melody without compromising on the band's sound. The following title track works well enough as a raging atmospheric piece but ends a little too soon and ultimately feels like the first half of a much better track - it's here that we start to see why these tracks were left off Hengen Tulet (an album worth your time if you missed it then). I've never heard of Rauli Badding Somerjoki, yet the band's cover of his Tähdet Tähdet works well and has an infectious enough chorus to stick in your head before the closing Viattomien Silmin brings the EP to a thrilling close, slow and atmospheric at first before launching into blasting speed, coming back to a mid-pace end. Vocalist Spellgoth (deceptively crap name aside) continues to prove his angry bellow worthy throughout, while mainman Shagraug and co (including Ajattara's Infection) form one hell of a backing band. Also releasing a split with Swiss one-man-army Pure recently, Horna are set to conquer 2018 for fans of true black metal. You can listen to and purchase the EP here.