HORNS OF HATTIN

Horns of Hattin is a Vienna, Austria-based Extreme Epic Metal band formed in Fall 2007 by former members of Vargsriket, Final Aphorism, Cryosphere, Avathar and Seeds of Sorrow. The band takes its name from "The Battle of Hattin", one of bloodiest episodes to occur during the Crusades in the area between present-day Jerusalem and Damascus. The battle site is known historically as the "Horns of Hattin" because of two hills on either side of the valley that appear to form "horns" from the distance. The Battle of Hattin essentially heralded the end of the Crusades; today the Battle of Hattin retains a deeply significant symbolism of large political, religious and social systems breaking down due to overly eager, greedy and weak leadership.
Lyrically, Horns of Hattin focus a great deal on history and its relevance to the present. The band recounts tales of ancient mysteries, secret societies, and the events of the Crusades, providing an introspective glance into the present and future. Horns of Hattin also explore various themes related to man and his religious ideas - the personal quest for enlightenment and self-mastery. The band's unofficial motto: There is no religion higher than truth.
So what exactly is "Extreme Epic Metal"? Rex Vermum offers some insight: "We come from various musical backgrounds and influences, so it's hard to limit the music to just one stylistic tag," he offers. "There are elements of epic, melodic or "symphonic" Black Metal, quite a bit of classic Heavy Metal, and some straight-ahead Black/Death-style riffing. We're not trying to define a new style and we're certainly not doing anything musically groundbreaking. In all honesty, the label "Extreme Epic Metal" is just a marketing tag, but it just seemed to be the best way to describe our music."
Horns of Hattin are currently focused on writing songs for their first full-size album and rehearsing their live set. "Live is where it's at for Horns of Hattin right now," says Van Tempest. "We're putting a lot of effort into getting our live sets together. We've been fortunate to receive very good offers for national and international support gigs, and we're working on booking more one-offs and local shows to solidify our live presentation - especially with our lately revised line-up."
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