Artist: Hate Squad
Title: Degüello Wartunes
Type: Album
Label: Dockyard 1
Somehow I can’t see Hate Squad receiving an invitation to appear on Songs of Praise, unless suddenly the Sunday religious romp changes direction and starts to promote brutality and aggression. Mixed Thrash and Death Metal with Hardcore is what we’re promised, and this is exactly what we get. Hate Squad make play of the fact that they’ve been around for 15 years in the company of fellow Germans Maroon and Heaven Shall Burn, whose singer features on this album. The band’s experience shows. This is their fifth full album. “Degüello Wartunes” is tight, controlled and fluid. It’s also an unremitting and pulsating metal attack. Much of it has a 90s “old school” feel about it, but with the benefit of sharp, modern production. It’s over an hour since I last listened to it and I’ve still got the riff and anthemic chorus of “Hannover H8core” going through my head repeatedly. “Hannover H8core” has more of a punk influence than the other tracks which fall more neatly into the Thrash-Death zone. It’s Hardcore too, but there’s no namby-pambying with clean vocals or emo. This is just heavy warmongering.
Although the style is uniformly akin to ripping children’s heads off, the album tracks stand out for their individuality. The title track “Degüello Wartunes” is the opener, and thrashy as it is, it’s also dark, moody, brutal and uncompromising. “Rise Up” has more of a Punk-Hardcore feel about it. The vocalist roars his hatred at us, making good use of sound techniques throughout the album without overdoing it. “At the End Alone” has an utterly engaging riff and is controlled and melodic without compromising on the heaviness. Indeed the key attraction of all the tracks lies in the dark and thrashy riffs, which make a lasting impression, and the way they reappear to captivate the already enrolled listener. At the same time the breaks, timing and the stepping up and down of pace which all have the qualities you would expect of a band of this pedigree. Another anthemic track “Never Surrender … Die Fighting” sums up the feel of this album. You sense that we’re in there with the lads, angry, headbanging and fighting for the cause. I’ve never seen Hate Squad live but imagine it would be an exhausting and enjoyable experience.
I guess that this is the sort of album you will like or won’t like because of the style. At first listen it seems that the subtlety level is on a par with their fellow countrymen Dew Scented i.e. none, but in fact it’s not simplistic, and a great deal of thought has gone into crafting each song. Technically it’s really sharp. “Degüello Wartunes” is an all-out metal assault. Bring it on.
http://www.hatesquad.com
http://www.myspace.com/hatesquad
www.dockyard1.com
Andrew Doherty
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