Review: Hate – Solarflesh
Feb 13
Hate – Solarflesh
In the world of extreme metal, Poland seems to be the only country that is almost exclusively identified with the genre. From the thrash minded Vader to the blackened aggression of Behemoth, the nation has developed some noteworthy armament in heavy metal. For several years now, sibling rage-spewers Hate have brought up the flank of Poland’s most horns worthy export, and they continue to do so with their brand new offering of blackened death metal, Solarflesh. While certainly as aggressive and ferocious as their past efforts, this new album comes somewhat short of doing much else beyond those previous releases by refraining to expand on their sound or to explore any new territory. Nonetheless, Solarflesh does prove to be a solid listen worth lending your ear to, granted that you do not mind getting it back bruised and burnt.
If the album has one distinct feature beyond its brutal assault of the senses, it would be the ominous mood of foreboding and despair. This anguishing aura is set in place right from the get-go with the opening piece “Watchful Eye of Doom”, a haunting instrumental intro track with tribal drums and female chanting. What immediately follows is the extreme aggression of pummeling drums, furious growls, and frenetic riffing that defines not only the album as a whole, but Hate as a band. A name which clearly is as appropriately garnered as any band’s. The style of blackened death metal is not necessarily unique to the band themselves, especially considering their national counterparts, but it is one that they have down rather solidly. The mix of components are equally vicious, ear-searing, and forcefully in-your-face, making for dominating cacophony of extreme metal.
While the sound and style of their brand of unholy metal may be tight and practised however, there is not much in the way of variations on that sound to be had on Solarflesh. There are some moments of change on the album, and the songs are written dynamically enough to open up every once in awhile; for example, when the wall of assault and battery falls away to allow the guitar to weave some occultishly meandering melody. But on the whole, the effort seems one dimensional, like a long forceful note played with a few breaths taken here and there, leaving the listener with few memorable impressions of individual moments. In essence, the main point of the album is driven bluntly home right off the bat with the first few songs, and steers that momentum in a fairly straight line for the rest of the record.
Thankfully, the generally lackluster conception of Hate’s latest effort does not prevent it from being a worthwhile listen, and for fans of the Polish extreme sound or any other similar variety of blackened death metal it should be a satisfying play through, even if for nothing more than to pass the time until some new stand-out release.The face-pummeling drums, scathing riffs, and rage driven vocals create a heavy attack on the ear, one that will surely get blood pumping and horns raised, just not in a noteworthy enough manner to leave those horns in the air for very long after the album has stopped spinning.
6/10
