H.A.T.E – “Tremendum” [Album Review]

There is no doubting the pedigree of the Polish extreme metal scene, a scene that has spewed up bands like Vader, Decapitated and not forgetting the religion-inspired brutality of Behemoth. Well, underneath the “Big Three”, there are bands like H.A.T.E. who’ve been peddling their thunderous fury for nine albums and Tremendum, their tenth, sees no let up in a career that is currently nudging towards thirty years.

Following on from 2015’s Crusade: Zero, Tremendum, their third for current home Napalm Records, more than tips a nod to countrymen and extreme metal brothers Behemoth. From the dark, haunting undertones to the surges of black/death metal inspired brutality, Tremendum is a rager from start to finish. From the white-hot blast of opener “Indestructible Pillar” to the grinding chug of “Numinosum”, Tremendum is a ferocious album. Typical of the Polish scene, the likes of “Into Burning Gehenna” are just pure, unadulterated rage played by musicians who know how to play crushingly heavy music.

And by crushingly heavy, this isn’t just blast-beats and vile vocals. Like Behemoth, H.A.T.E. make use of the kind of dark, suffocating atmosphere that pushes their skull-cracking rage into much darker waters. On the downside, while Tremendum is undoubtedly a solid example of how potent black metal and death metal can be when infused together, when you’re a Polish band the bar for this has been set ridiculously high by Nergal and his cohorts.

Tremendum Track Listing:

01. Asuric Being
02. Indestructible Pillar
03. Svarog’s Mountain
04. Numinosum
05. Fidelis Ad Mortem
06. Into Burning Gehenna
07. Sea Of Rubble
08. Ghostforce
09. Walk Through Fire
10. Hearts Of Steel (Bonus Track)

Run Time: 54:23
Release Date: May 5, 2017

Check out the track “Numinosum”