Hate – Rugia
Metal Blade Records
Release Date: 15/10/2021
Running Time: 35:54
Review by Victor Augusto
8.5/10
“Hey Victor. Are you having a quiet life? Yes, of course! 2021 is just slaughtering many friends and even my wife almost died after all issues with this hurricane called COVID-19. Let me not forget that I’m in the recovery process of this disease as well, but I can say that I am good. So, Victor. Why not review an old and legendary band? You know that it scares the hell out of you, but you have free time for it, right?” Ok, it was my own schizophrenic soliloquy when I was asked to review the new album from the Polish band, Hate. But, despite knowing how hard it could be, I decided to accept the challenge.
I feel the responsibility of expressing my thoughts about a very famous band. For some reasons, I clearly remember Hate’s sonority after listening to a few of their albums, when the band was about to arrive to play in Brasília (the city where I live in Brazil). I must confess that I am very aware of their long career, but I am not so familiar with their albums. But luckily, this new album is so brilliant, that it was not as hard as I imagined. To make this journey easier for you, readers, I will try to express myself as if I am listening to the first album of a band that I just discovered. I hope you enjoy it.
My first impression, which left me open-mouthed, was the clear organic production in the recording process. The arrangements, especially for the drums, are amazing. All instruments on the album pack a heavy punch. At the same time, it is not as digitalized as the extreme fast bands (which is good, because I hate this). The dark atmosphere comes around from Death Metal bands. Or maybe a mix of Black and Death Metal? I mean, more to the musicality, because the lyrical interpretation is something more personal. Everyone can understand different things from the same words.
The title track opens the album in a good cadence and it seems like just a warmup for the devastating song after, ‘The Wolf Queen’. What an exciting way to blast our ears. Moreover, the entire album goes on the same way of fast beats with changing tempos, good riffs, and a strong vocal work alongside. I think ‘Exiles of Pantheon’ is the most brutal of the whole album.
Now talking more about their Death Metal side. Most of the songs are fast and brutal, but they have an astonishing breaking of the rhythms, and this doesn’t let the music become too massive and tiring. In addition, the songs are short considering they have Black Metal as a reference. The longest track is ‘Velesian Guard’, which by the way, it is a very catching song with the best of heaviness, blast beats, and remarkable riffs.
This is a very linear album that Hate put their best into from the beginning to the end. I think this is the best aspect of “Rugia” for me. You can pick up any song at random, and you’ll still be able to understand the spirit of the album. To my surprise, even the closing track, ‘Sacred Dnieper’, is pretty heavy and aggressive without a break.
Versatility! This word defines “Rugia”, and probably defines Hate as well. A band who mixes an exciting Death Metal with elements from the dark side of Black Metal. At the same time, they offer amazing compositions, and a sound that is easy to hear and digest. But it’s not arrogant or overdone, and their experience furthers the presentation. But then, this isn’t a debut album from a young band; It’s their twelfth album, and they’ve been going 3 decades… and you can tell.
Hate – Exiles of Pantheon (OFFICIAL VIDEO):
TRACKLISTING:
01. Rugia
02. The Wolf Queen
03. Exiles of Pantheon
04. Saturnus
05. Awakening the Gods Within
06. Resurgence
07. Velesian Guard
08. Sun of Extinction
09. Sacred Dnieper
LINE-UP:
ATF Sinner – Vocals, Guitars
Domin – Guitars
Nar-Sil – Drums
Tiermes – Bass
LINKS:
Disclaimer: This review is solely the property of Victor Agusto and Ever Metal. It is strictly forbidden to copy any part of this review, unless you have the strict permission of both parties. Failure to adhere to this will be treated as plagiarism and will be reported to the relevant authorities.