Hate eternal upon desolate sands review năm 2024

The Floridian death metal scene is home to legendary outfitters such as Cannibal Corpse, Morbid Angel, Obituary, Death, Malevolent Creation, and Monstrosity. Hate Eternal, a band who simply does not need any introductions required has been making killer music since 1997. From the influential albums such as 1999’s Conquering The Throne to perhaps the best Hate Eternal album and my personal favorite the band has ever done that being 2005’s I, Monarch, Upon Desolate Sands is Hate Eternal’s strongest and ambitious albums the band has done to date.

Hate Eternal records have always been marred by diluted production; the guitar and bass work is usually lost to the constant onslaught of blast beats. This album also introduces Obscura’s very own Hannes Grossmann who has done such a phenomenal job making his compositions and talented drumming skills to the test and he has properly executed it to near perfection. On par with the brutality, the album showcases a level of songwriting and composition constantly approached, yet never before reached by the band’s long-running career. Hate Eternal’s distinct sound of death metal has always been known for its mix of extreme brutality, speed, and technicality; one of which many bands couldn’t even think about or replicate.

The moment you hear Upon Desolate Sands, The Violent Fury, All Hope Destroyed and Dark Age Of Ruin, prepare to strap yourselves to hear Hate Eternal’s cleanest and aggressive records in such a very long time. Upon Desolate Sands is Hate Eternal’s return to form and doing what they been contributing for 21 years in their career to create the best album in the last decade.

Overall Score: 9.5/10

Review by Jake Butler

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HATE ETERNAL, the main musical focus of old-school death metal OG Erik Rutan, may have missed the initial burst of death metal in the early to mid 90s while Rutan was in RIPPING CORPSE and enjoying his first stint in MORBID ANGEL, but they are largely responsible for bring the genre into the 21st century in gloriously brutal form. Their 2002 album, King Of All Kings, is heralded as one of the finest death metal records of the early 2000s, and easily ranks among KRISIUN’s Conquerors Of Armageddon, Nile’s Black Seeds Of Vengeance and MORBID ANGEL’s Gateways To Annihilation – in which Rutan also performed. 16 years after the release of King Of All Kings and three years following their last record, Infernus, HATE ETERNAL are back with what may be the strongest addition to their discography to date; Upon Desolate Sands.

Bassist J.J Hrubovcak returns for his third record with HATE ETERNAL, following 2011’s Pheonix From The Ashes and 2015’s Infernus, the band’s Seasons Of Mist debut. Joining Hrubovcak and Rutan is none other than legendary tech-death drummer Hannes Grossmann, of NECROPHAGIST and OBSCURA fame, among others. Together with Rutan handling all guitar and vocal parts, the trio brilliantly execute the song writing with a ferocious intensity. Hrubovcak’s bass work serves as a solid foundation, beefing up the sound without being over-bearing, while Grossmann’s brutalisation of the kit drives Upon Desolate Sands ever forward as Rutan takes centre stage. All of this is wrapped in some of Rutan’s best production work to date, with every instrument being allowed to shine and cut through the mix with clarity, yet an oppressive, immersive atmosphere permeates throughout.

Rutan has always been metaphorical in his lyrics, evoking more typical death metal imagery while channelling his own emotional turmoil. This is a theme that carries through much of Upon Desolate Sands, though it is most evident with the second single, Nothingness Of Being. The lyrics are dark, and a bit more obviously personal than some of Rutan’s other lyrical work, but lines like “Awaiting the ghosts of those left to die, As I enter this majestic sprawl, Banished, never to return again, Vengeful thoughts and woeful wounds,” conjure Lovecraftian images. The hard-hitting lyrics are wrapped up in an even harder musical punch, taking a more sludgy, mid-tempo turn that demands banging heads and raised horns.

The guitar work throughout Upon Desolate Sands is generally outstanding. Many of the riffs are ear worms, burying into your subconscious. But where Rutan truly shines on the fretboard is in his solos – he is focused, emotional, and carrying more of a classic heavy metal style than the frantic death metal soloing one might expect. From the soaring brilliance of Vengeance Striketh’s solo to the flurry of lead work that bring All Hope Destroyed to a close, Rutan is on fire throughout Upon Desolate Sands.

Coming in as the penultimate track, Upon Desolate Sand’s title track may just be the best on record. Opening with a Middle-Eastern sounding atmosphere, the track moves into a hooky tremolo guitar line and a crushing display of riff work. The sinister atmosphere created by the Arabic sounding intro never truly abates, pulling the listener into an immersive listen that makes the five minute run time disappear in what feels like a matter of seconds. The closing instrumental track, For Whom We Have Lost, should feel out of place – it lacks the brutality present on the rest of Upon Desolate Sands, but it fits perfectly. This is where we see the emotional ride of the record come to full fruition, with Rutan leading the piece with a groove-ridden riff and deeply heartfelt leads.

Upon Desolate Sands is a monumental album for HATE ETERNAL. Featuring some of the tightest song writing in the band’s discography, some of Rutan’s best production work to date, and a complex, emotional atmosphere, it’s hard to argue there’s a better record to be found in HATE ETERNAL’s discography. HATE ETERNAL’s seventh record will doubtlessly rank highly in many “End Of Year” lists, and rightly so. Upon Desolate Sands feels truly complete, in a way many records lack. It ticks all the necessary boxes, but it doesn’t so without trying to – the emotional depth, musicality and progression of the record all come together, delivering a final product that is as satisfying as it gets. Emotionally driven with deeply metaphorical and fascinating lyricism, crammed with hooks without being cheap, and loaded with ferocious, sonically eviscerating riff work without being completely inaccessible, Upon Desolate Sands is a monolith to brutality.