
Horna (Finnish for "abyss" or "
hell
In religion and folklore, hell is a location or state in the afterlife in which souls are subjected to punishment after death. Religions with a linear divine history sometimes depict hells as eternal destinations, such as Christianity and I ...
") is a Finnish
black metal
Black metal is an extreme metal, extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. Common traits include Tempo#Beats per minute, fast tempos, a Screaming (music)#Black metal, shrieking vocal style, heavily distorted Electric guitar, guitars played with tr ...
band formed
Lappeenranta
Lappeenranta (; ) is a city in Finland and the regional capital of South Karelia. It is located in the southeastern interior of the country and in the Finnish Lakeland. The population of Lappeenranta is approximately , while the Lappeenranta sub-r ...
, Finland, in 1994. The band has appeared on over fifty releases including
splits, demos,
EPs
An extended play (EP) is a Sound recording and reproduction, musical recording that contains more tracks than a Single (music), single but fewer than an album. Contemporary EPs generally contain up to eight tracks and have a playing time of 1 ...
and albums since 1995, which have been released through numerous record labels.
History
Horna was formed in 1994 by vocalist and guitarist
Shatraug, guitarist Moredhel and drummer Gorthaur.
Horna did not start recording until early 1995. The first demo, ''Varjoissa'', was released in September that year and sold out. In 1996, Nazgul von Armageddon took over vocal duties and the band recorded their second demo ''Hiidentorni'' in January 1997, resulting in a deal with the Greek label Solistitium Records. Their first full-length album, ''
Kohti Yhdeksän Nousua ''Kohti Yhdeksän Nousua'' ( Finnish for "Towards the Rise of the Nine") is the first full-length studio album by the black metal band Horna. It was released on Solistitium Records in 1998 and was limited to 1500 copies. It was re-released on vinyl ...
'', was released in 1998. The band continued to release albums under this label through June 1998, when Moredhel and bassist Skratt left the band. Bassist Thanatos replaced Skratt soon afterwards, and Moredhel re-joined that August. In 1999, the band signed to Norwegian label Oskorei Productions for a vinyl-only release of the band's second album, ''
Haudankylmyyden Mailla'', and the band released a series of limited vinyl-only EPs and split albums through most of the early 2000s, with full-length studio albums coming out in the latter half of the decade.
In 2002, Nazgul von Armageddon left the band, leaving vocal duties to Corvus.
In July 2003, it was announced that guitarist Aarni T. Otava had left the group. Horna cited the loss of "dedication" as the reason behind his departure, and revealed that Horna's performance at 2003's
Tuska Open Air Metal Festival
Tuska Festival, (previously Tuska Open Air Metal Festival), commonly shortened to Tuska (), is a Finnish Heavy metal music, heavy metal rock festival, festival taking place annually in Helsinki. The first Tuska took place in 1998 and the festival ...
would be their last with Otava handling guitar duties.
Corvus left the band and Spellgoth took over as vocalist in 2009.
Lyrics and style
Horna plays
black metal
Black metal is an extreme metal, extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. Common traits include Tempo#Beats per minute, fast tempos, a Screaming (music)#Black metal, shrieking vocal style, heavily distorted Electric guitar, guitars played with tr ...
and the lyrics are influenced by
satanism
Satanism refers to a group of religious, ideological, or philosophical beliefs based on Satan—particularly his worship or veneration. Because of the ties to the historical Abrahamic religious figure, Satanism—as well as other religious ...
and
anti-christianity. Some of Horna's early work has also references to
J. R. R Tolkien's novel
The Lord of The Rings
''The Lord of the Rings'' is an Epic (genre), epic high fantasy novel written by English author and scholar J. R. R. Tolkien. Set in Middle-earth, the story began as a sequel to Tolkien's 1937 children's book ''The Hobbit'' but eventually d ...
.
Controversy
Horna has been criticized for
NSBM ties. Former lead vocalist Nazgul von Armageddon was alleged to have expressed Nazi views in his solo project
Satanic Warmaster
Satanic Warmaster is a Finnish black metal solo project formed in 1998 by Lauri Penttilä in Lappeenranta, who performs under the stage name Werwolf.
Satanic Warmaster was formed by Penttilä in 1998. Satanic Warmaster has sold tens of thousands ...
. In 2005, founder Shatraug accused Nazgul of being "the Nazi in our ranks" and the band's website in 2007 declared that "
at any ex-members might represent is not what we stand for."
Shatraug said that Horna was "nationalist to a certain point", but not National Socialist.
In 2010 and again in 2019, Horna concerts were cancelled because of allegations that the band was involved with NSBM. The band responded by denying any involvement with national socialism.
In response to members of the far-right extremist group
Atomwaffen Division
The Atomwaffen Division (''Atomwaffen'' meaning "atomic weapons" in GermanModern standard German prefers ''Kernwaffen'' () for the concept.), also known as the National Socialist Resistance Front, was an international far-right extremist and ...
doing
Nazi salutes in the crowd during a performance, Horna stated that the band has no interest in politics.
Members
Current members
*
Shatraug – guitar (1994–present)
* Infection – guitar, backing vocals (2008–present)
* Spellgoth – lead vocals (2009–present)
* LRH – drums (2016–present)
* VnoM – bass guitar (2018–present)
Former members

* Moredhel – guitars, bass (1994–2000)
* Gorthaur – drums (1994–2003, 2005)
* Nazgul von Armageddon – lead vocals, keyboards (1996–2001)
* Skratt – bass, keyboards (1997–1998)
* A.T. Otava – bass, guitars (1998–2003)
* Vrasjarn – bass (2000–2001)
* Corvus – lead vocals (2002–2009)
* Saturnus – guitars (2003–2007)
* Vainaja – drums (2007–2016)
* Lord Sargofagian – drums (2007)
* Hex Inferi – bass (2012–2018)
Timeline
Discography
Studio albums
*''
Kohti Yhdeksän Nousua ''Kohti Yhdeksän Nousua'' ( Finnish for "Towards the Rise of the Nine") is the first full-length studio album by the black metal band Horna. It was released on Solistitium Records in 1998 and was limited to 1500 copies. It was re-released on vinyl ...
'' (1998)
*''
Haudankylmyyden Mailla'' (1999)
*''
Sudentaival'' (2001)
*''
Envaatnags Eflos Solf Esgantaavne'' (2005)
*''
Ääniä Yössä'' (2006)
*''
Sotahuuto'' (2007)
*''
Sanojesi Äärelle'' (2008)
*''
Askel lähempänä Saatanaa'' (2013)
*''
Hengen tulet'' (2015)
*''Kasteessa kirottu'' (2018)
*''Kuoleman kirjo'' (2020)
*''Nyx – Hymnejä Yölle'' (2024)
EPs
*''
Sota'' (1999)
*''
Perimä Vihassa Ja Verikostossa'' (1999)
*''
Korpin Hetki'' (2002)
*''
Risti ja Ruoska'' (2002)
*''
Viha ja Viikate'' (2003)
*''
Talismaani'' (2004)
*''
Vuohipaimen'' (2004)
*''
Pimeyden Hehku'' (2007)
*''Herran edessä'' (2009)
*''Adventus Satanae'' (2011)
*''Kuolleiden kuu'' (2018)
Splits
*''Perimä vihassa ja verikostossa / Whispered Myths'' (1999)
*''Horna / Musta Surma'' (2000)
*''Musta Surma / Horna'' (2002)
*''Horna / Desolation Triumphalis'' (2003)
*''Tästä alkavat minun vuoteni / Live Invocation'' (2003)
*''Horna / Woods of Infinity'' (2004)
*''
Horna / Behexen'' (2004)
*''Vihan vuodet'' (2005)
*''Goatfucking Gent / Vivicomburium'' (2005)
*''Unohdetut Kasvot, Unohdettu Ääni / Un Sogno Oscuro'' (2005)
*''Horna / Blackdeath'' (2005)
*''Ilman Arvoa ja Arkkua / Kinaidos'' (2006)
*''Horna / Sacrificia Mortuorum'' (2006)
*''Horna / Peste Noire'' (2007)
*''Horna / Nefarious'' (2009)
*''Horna / Den Saakaldte'' (2014)
*''Demonic Christ / Horna'' (2014)
*''Atavistic Resurgence'' (2015)
*''Horna / Pure'' (2018)
*''Horna / Obscure Anachronism'' (2024)
Compilations
*''
Hiidentorni / Perimä Vihassa Ja Verikostossa'' (2000)
*''
Ordo Regnum Sathanas'' (2004)
*''Kun Synkkä Ikuisuus Avautuu'' (2006)
*''Musta Kaipuu'' (2009)
Demos
*''Varjoissa'' (1995)
*''Hiidentorni'' (1997)
Live albums
*''Black Metal Warfare'' (2004)
*''Vihan tiellä'' (2009)
*''Live Armageddon 1999–2000'' (2016)
References
Sources
*
External links
*
*
Hornaat
Encyclopaedia Metallum
Encyclopaedia Metallum: The Metal Archives (commonly known as Metal Archives per the URL or abbreviated as MA) is an online encyclopedia based upon musical artists who predominantly perform heavy metal music along with its various sub-genres ...
Horna Interview at Diabolical Conquest Webzine
{{Authority control
Finnish black metal musical groups
Musical groups established in 1993
Finnish musical quintets
1993 establishments in Finland
Satanism and Nazism