Blackened Death Metal
Metal Blade Records
Release Date – May 2nd 2025
Line Up:
ATF Sinner – Vocals/Guitar
Domin – Guitar
Tiermes – Bass
Nar-Sil – Drums
Track List
Bellum Regiis
Iphigenia
The Vanguard
A Ghost Of Lost Delight
Rite Of Triglav
Perun Rising
Alfa Inferi Goddess Of War
Prophet Of Arkhen
Ageless Harp Of Devilry
Hate have been around since 1990 but changed their name to Hat in 1992. Hailing from Warsaw, Poland, they have been pretty prolific in their output since then. Having never heard any of their previous albums, this came as a complete surprise to me. They haven’t gone in for the black devilry so common with bands of their genre. Oh no, this is a well-thought-out, well-researched loose concept about power and all of its pros and cons, even down to the album artwork which depicts a King who has lost everything apart from his crown, which is the only visible mark of his greatness.
I wasn’t expecting the beautiful clean vocals of Eliza Sacharczuk to open the track where she puts out an honest melancholic sound that has your heart breaking immediately before they move into an epic melodic death metal anthem that goes through various movements of soft acoustics to crushing riffage. “Iphigenia” keeps the epic going and tells the tale of a girl who gave the ultimate sacrifice to support the Greeks in the Trojan war, which shows the depth of the concept of power. “The Vanguard” brings the brutality just as it should be with the invasion force obliterating all in its path ready for the main battle. We get some creepy lines on the intro to “At Ghost Of Lost Daylight” which then develops into a grinding beast before the ninety-second interlude “Rite Of Trigalv” where Eliza Sacharczuk returns and lends her hypnotic pipes over the tribal rhythm.
“Perun Rising” is another double-picked mid-paced grinder before the banging “Alfa Inferi Goddess Of War” brings back the epic feel, all driven by the precise rhythm of Nar-Sil. There’s also some fabulous guitar work throughout from ATF Sinner and Domin – just wait until they really get going. Phenomenal. Things get brutal again on “Prophet Of Arkhen” before the spidery riffage of “Ageless Harp Of Devilry” develops into another crusher.
I’m not going to lie, this is an acquired taste, but it’s still a monstrous work of art. The depth and conviction in the creation of this is just astounding. Credit to the band for developing this concept and to the producer David Castillo for capturing all the magic. Credit also to composer Michal Staczkun who wrote the perfect scores to go with the dark theme. Absolute world-class extreme melodic metal.
Written by: Smudge
Ratings: 10/10
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