### Hate Eternal: Phoenix amongst the ashes

#### 24/06/11 || The Duff

Hate Eternal have gone in my esteem from being a standard, no frills death metal band of little relevance to a downright formidable force. I’ve loved everything they’ve done, my revision of “King of All Kings” and “Fury and Flames” of late making me realise how much my views concerning HE have altered drastically for the better – opinions are like assholes, given the right patience, lube, director and number of standbys that simply need to be pointed in any direction they can be shaped into anything, and as it turns out I was grossly mistaken with “Fury and Flames”, thinking that “Bringer of Storms” was the only worthwhile cut. When you take the time to sift through the noise, which in the end isn’t as impenetrable as some would have you believe, you find a dark, encircling blastfurnace of venom that completely devours – following it up would be a tough one.

Erik Rutan, out of nowhere, started talking about the new Hate Eternal sometime late last year, if memory serves me correctly, saying that they were pushing death metal forward with the new record or words to that effect. Well, I can’t deny that this is a newish sound for HE (not too sure about death metal, although there are some real nice touches such as the eerie leadwork on “Haunting Abound”). It would appear Erik has been spinning ye olde catchy Polish death metal or some such, because there is a newfound bounciness on display here, an assortment of strangely rhythmic but catchy riffs common with that far off European place of death metal glory. Criticised for being nothing original, to me Hate Eternal have changed with every album flawlessly while keeping the mixture of relentless, memorable and shit-kicking evil (“Thorns of Acacia”, a prime example) intact, “Phoenix” being no exception – Rutan has this in his blood album number five solidifying such resoundingly.

So yes, with this added European flavour we’re still not talking a complete overhaul, this is the same HE formula of unusual and dark ringing chords, harder than nails tremolo picking, triplets (the production accentuates these perfectly), exotic solos that rip to the standard of Karl Sanders but with an accentuated finesse, all with to-the-point, infectious chugs that haven’t been heard in my mind on any past record. “Phoenix Amongst the Ashes” has a meatiness to it that has beforehand been neglected, examples including the slow dirge of “Rebirth”, the 3:36 mark of “The Art of Redemption” and the 0:28 riff of “Lake Ablaze”. One big surprise however is the title track, a punch pulled if ever there was one, the closest I’ve heard the band get to straight-up black metal and far more depressing than heavy; a bizarre step for the band which I’m not entirely sold on yet.

Rutan’s vocal arrangements are fantastic throughout “Phoenix Amongst the Ashes”, their delivery deadly as ever and yet so naturally done. The jewel in the Prince Albert piercing though is the drumming of new recruit Jade Simonetto – this being his second appearance on an HE record, following in the footsteps of both Tim Yeung and Derek Roddy, the guy is the perfect fit for Hate Eternal by a long shot. After unsteady line-ups with very mechanical drummers, Erik’s prayers appear answered with an equally proficient performer as the aforementioned yet one so much more authentic, plus he absolutely molests the skins. The production turns him into a battering ram of speed and accuracy, the drums mixed to the perfect blend of ball-point precision and skull-nailing bluntness. It isn’t just the drums that sound tremendous on “Phoenix”, though. Erik seems to have taken criticism for the “Fury and Flames” production on board (although I can’t fault BBBBBBRRRRrrrRRRRRBRRR-WEWEEEEEEEEWEIIIGH – oh, so that’s the riff then? Cool; sounds blistering); everything here is dry, crisp and, most importantly, discernibly heavy.

All of this praise to say that “Phoenix of the Ashes” isn’t devoid of flaws; the regular tame riffing HE plague syndrome does tend to crop up on the occasion as with “King of All Kings” most closely but ultimately (and a touch cruelly) everything else the band has released. I don’t know what it is, but for eighty-percent killer there is always something holding the band back (this album lags every now and then from the title track to the end of “Hatesworn”, and then closes on a real pale note with “The Fire of Resurrection”). Still, in such a regard I cannot claim this album to be a disappointment, but exactly what I was expecting – as always, a slight evolution and some of the band’s best material, no doubt recommended to those who like it catchy, emotional and overall very, very heavy, consider me a continued supporter of this now well established death metal veteran act.

- Information
- Released: 2011
- Label: Metal Blade
- Website: Hate Eternal MySpace
- Band
- Erik Rutan: vocals, guitars
- Jade Simonetto: drums
- J.J. Hrubovcak: bass

- Tracklist
- 01. Rebirth
- 02. The Eternal Ruler
- 03. Thorns of Acacia
- 04. Haunting Abound
- 05. The Art of Redemption
- 06. Phoenix Amongst the Ashes
- 07. Deathveil
- 08. Hatesworn
- 09. Lake Ablaze
- 10. The Fire of Resurrection