Artist: Hatred
Title: Blasphemous Deliverance
Type: Album
Label: Deity Down Records
A quick look at the bands logo and track titles you’d immediately aim your sights at a satanic metal stance, probably in the death/black metal genre. Parts of that assumption were correct when I made it, but unlike the pulverising nature of bands like Vital Remains, Behemoth or Deicide, this is decidedly tame focusing on a mid paced death metal direction. The guitar sound is authentically dirty and gravel sounding with “Christian Dogma” opening the album in uneventful fashion. The blast sections feel dispassionate as though they were added for aggression sake only. “Religion=War” shows some improvement with a battle metal approach in the vein of the mighty Bolt Thrower, especially when the double bass kick is brought in. It is in these parts that the band does stand out as the riffs as simplistic but effective. A nice rasping riff enters midway and is balanced by the bass drum kick and beastly growls.
There are times when the songs seem clumsy, lacking cohesion, such as the start of “The Atheist”, though improvements are made in the body of the song. “Involution” starts much better with a catchy riff and the blast here does have some impact, but only just. Malevolent Creation’s “The Fine Art Of Murder” comes to mind regarding the guitar sound due to its caustic nature and Asphyx is a reference point on the slower more dirge like passages on “Beholder Of Hate”.
There are moments when the band pulls a riff or melody out of the bag before they quickly return to safe death territory, such as the beginning of “Enslaved By A Living Deity” or the thrashing riff of “Blessed Possession”. Overall the death metal on this CD has some good ideas with an old style approach, but the lack of innovation and creativity to make them stand out will hold them back substantially. However if some traditional old school death metal is your particular metal diet then this is a decent appetizer.
http://www.hatred.nl
www.myspace.com/hatredholland
Martin Harris
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