DESCRIPTION:
The dutch INDUSTRIAL-ROCK band started of as an experimental project in 1991. This project gradually evolved into a band form.
vocals: Piet Snijders
guitars/programming: Walter Donkers
keyboards: Bart vd Staak
bass: Marco Verbruggen

In March of 1993 HOER released their first tape called “DAWN” which proved to be a succes thanks to some great reviews in o.a. Dwarf, aardschok and Mindview. In april 1994 the second tape “OF BABYLON” was released. This tape again got raving reviews in both national and international press.

After this HOER has appeared on two compilation albums. The first was the prestigious “DSFA 6” compilation. In 1995 HOER asppeared on the “SONIC OBLITERATION” compilation which was released by the Canadian independent Utopian Vision Music.

In 1996 HOER mutated into a treesome, containing:
vocals: Piet Snijders
guitars/programming: Walter Donkers
keyboards: John Heerkens

In 1996 HOER gave birth to their first album “LOST” which was released by the German label MOONLIGHT RECORDS. This album got great reviews in o.a. AARDSCHOK (an 8.8) and a stunning 9.5 in the Belgian magazine FANFARE.

In march 1997 HOER appeared on the experimental ALARM compilation.

In november 1997 HOER recorded a promo tape in their own studio. And they have been busy writing new songs, which are a mixture of metal/rock and dance/hardcore with a touch of classical music.

After 4 years the second child is born named “TV NATION” , a 10 track album CD that got even better reviews then the first one. Also a new keyboard player joined the band: Fred Hasselman

Live shows of HOER are an atmospheric and powerful experience: you never know what to expect, as even the OOR, OPSCENE and AARDSCHOK zines have noticed. HOER has played the corners of the Netherlands and the occasional gigs in Germany. HOER has played “Wave Festivals”, “Industrial Parties”, “Metal Festivals” and even “Dance Events”. Which proves that they can’t be caught by one net.

Discography: DAWN (5 track demo 1993)
OF BABYLON (5 track demo 1994)
DSFA 6 (compilation CD 1994)
SONIC OBLITERATION (compilation CD 1995)
LOST (9 track album CD 1996)
ALARM (compilation CD 1997)
TV NATION (10 track album CD 2000)

Review www.rock-e-zine.com
Finally, the new album by Dutch electro/industrial outfit HOER. It's been 4 years since the release of their debut album Lost, 4 years of misery and a bad record deal, so for this album they decided to found their own record label (Dildo Action Records), and it's first release is TV-Nation - HOERs second. In a first listen, the sound hasn't changed much over the years: the keyboard driven sound, reinforced with guitars, is still prevalent. There is still the omnipresent GGFH influence in each song. But after a few close listens, one can pick out the differences between Lost and TV-Nation: the songs on the latter album are more catchy. Darker. The mix is definitely better, as are the vocals of Piet Snijders. Opener "TV-Nation" is pretty strong, especially with the distorted vocals, while songs as "Symphony Of Despair", "Feed My Flesh" and "Timewarp" offer pretty interesting structures. Also more present on this album are darker beats, however used sparingly. My main comment on TV-Nation has to do with the sound. In order to beat the competition (which comes mostly from German bands), they need their album to be a heavy statement. The overall sound, however, is too static, too clean, too thin. The intensity doesn't reflect in the songs clearly enough. Especially on "Anything", the keyboards are too mechanical for its own sake. However, HOER proves it is capable of doing it better: the atmosphere on "World Of Words" and "Nightmare" is downright haunting. So if they would manage to sound just the bit rawer, more aggressive, HOER might be able to reclaim their name in the Dutch scene once more. (8 / 10) (Xander Hoose)