Maximum Metal Rating Legend

Hate - Anaclasis - 2005 - Listenable Records

Track Listing1. Anaclasis 2. Necropolis 3. Hex 4. Malediction 5. Euphoria Of The New Breed 6. Razorblade 7. Immortality 8. Fountains Of Blood To Reach Heavens

Recently I have taken a step back through that portal in the sky, that gateway to another time and place. When I first got myself involved with heavy metal music, it was mostly of a death metal variety. My days were spent absorbing the dismal landscapes painted by Hypocrisy, Morbid Angel, Death, and early Amorphis. Around the late '90s I started to turn my eyes and ears away from those fields, moving more into power metal and hard rock streams. After recently picking up Vader's "The Art Of War" EP and Hate's "Anaclasis", well my retro side has returned and I've found myself enjoying this brutal display of death metal once again. It is indeed funny how everything works in a vicious cycle.

"Anaclasis" marks my first venture into the intense and darkly lit world of Poland's Hate. The band have been around since the early '90s and through that time has managed to release four records and a DVD. This is their newest endeavor and one that really is quite extraordinary in my opinion. Basically using the same intense and hostile moments of other Polish bands like Decapitated and Vader, Hate move the machine gun lines one step over the barricade, concentrating all efforts on a quest to rule the death metal jungles. I really think they have moved into the same firing line as Vader in complete sonic annihilation, a disruptive, smooth motion to clear a straight path to Hell itself.

With this new offering Hate put all thoughts and goals on one achievable mission, to create total chaos through tight drum patterns, fast double bass, huge groove initiated riffing, and deep, low vocals courtesy of Adam The First Sinner. At times the band are very, very fast, with plenty of fast riffing and lightning quick double bass mechanics. With other cuts they lean more on thrash patterns, never quite going into hyperblast mode but skirting the outskirts of an all out speed fest. While most bands will rely on these efforts to completely describe their sound, Hate goes one step further by adding in a few synths and sound effects through the chorus parts.

As I said earlier, Vader really comes to mind in some ways, but also a band like Sinister could be looked at as an obvious comparison. The production for the release is absolutely amazing, produced by Adam The First Sinner and engineered/mixed by the famous Wieslawski Brothers, who also recently worked with Vader on their newest EP.

Bottom Line - It is these types of albums that make death metal interesting. One of the better extreme acts I that I have heard.



--EC 1.20.06