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Kalaratri
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PostPosted: Thu Aug 19, 2021 11:36 am 
 

Polish blackened death metallers Hate will release their twelfth full length, Rugia, on October 15 through Metal Blade Records. From the press release:

Quote:
No one combines death and black metal quite like Poland's Hate. With unflinching viciousness and a sense of atmosphere unique to the band, on Rugia, their twelfth full-length, they push the boundaries of their craft even further. "It was clear to me that it should build upon and evolve from our previous record 'Auric Gates Of Veles' (2019) both musically and lyrically. However, every Hate record stands as a separate journey, and never twice to the same place. You never know exactly where it will lead you" states vocalist/guitarist ATF Sinner, who has led the band since 1991. Fresh blood in the band's lineup also helped contribute to Rugia's unique sound. Pavulon (drums), who had played with the band since 2014, was forced to step down from the band due to serious health issues. The band tapped Nar-Sil (Neolith, Virgin Snatch, Embrional) to take his place. "Working with a new drummer this time around was a fascinating experience for me. Nar-Sil's technique and presence are quite different from Pavulon's and that definitely comes across. I believe we managed to construct a refreshing new chapter to our discography, composing nine truly sinister onslaughts of pure rage."

Writing for Rugia commenced shortly after Auric Gates of Veles was released. However, Hate soon began to tour extensively in support of their then new opus, and the production of new music was put on the back burner. But come 2020 and the COVID pandemic, the band's touring plans with Belphegor and Suffocation were abruptly cut short. With this unexpected infusion of free time, the band decided to buckle down and finish writing the material they were working on.

Sinner and Nar-Sil were joined by Domin on lead guitar and Tiermes on bass, who played with the band live since 2018, to complete the lineup. "Although I wrote the riffs, main arrangements and lyrics, we all worked on what you hear on Rugia. We put the pieces together and re-arranged fragments as a team. Our albums are always a collective effort and Rugia was no different," asserts Sinner. Sound-wise, they were mainly inspired by nineties extreme metal, both black and death, and they wanted to keep their sound as organic as possible. Warts and all. "It sounds quite harsh, very dynamic and unrestrained. It also has a strong ambient element to it that emphasizes the material's tone and dark atmosphere. The rhythm section is more death metal influenced this time around, which harkens back to our roots. You could say that most of the songs on this album are 'pagan death metal' - a combination of epic riffs and ferocious blasting rhythms." One thing that might come as a surprise to fans is the manner in which Sinner uses his voice, which is a lot more sophisticated than on previous records. "I tried to make my voice sound at three different timbres, or even different people behind the microphone. Sometimes the voices are combined together, sometimes they are more like separate vocal lines. I wanted to build this enriched narrative, and at our shows, I think Tiermes will help me with some of the vocal lines to bring that effect to a live surrounding."

Lyrically, the album sees the band continue to delve into the depths of Slavonic mysticism. "Generally, all the songs on the album are dedicated to the ancient Slavic world - great migrations, wars, battles, and the struggle for survival. But there is also a philosophical level to it, which is very important. Slavic mythology is a collection of universal stories touching upon fundamental issues that we all encounter in our lives. Therefore it is a frame that allows me to write about contemporary problems that I encounter myself from a different perspective. Along the way, I discovered my pagan soul and I encourage people to do the same. I think everybody has this deeper, more profound identity based on understanding our unity with nature, something that goes beyond all the civilizations we have built." The album title is taken from the archaic name of a German island on the Baltic Sea now called Rügen. In ancient times, Rügen or Rugia, was a site of holy pilgrimage to the pagan Slavic people. It was the very heart of the western Slavic faith, housing the fabled stronghold of Arkona. The album is at its core a tribute to Rugia and its tribes and the culture they created.

The band elected to once again track the album in the Hertz Recording Studio in Poland, and it was recorded, mixed and mastered by the Wiesłaski Brothers (Behemoth, Decapitated). Everything was laid down over about two to three weeks, with longtime collaborator Michał Staczkun providing the ambient elements of the band's sound. The only struggle came about at the mixing stage, where the final character of the record emerges. "Here we encountered many problems, contradictory visions too. The producers had their own idea for the overall sound, which differed from what I had in mind, so we were trying to find a good compromise and it took us a few months." Given how strongly the personality of the record shines through it is safe to say that the compromise reached was definitely in its best interest, standing as perhaps the best sounding record in the band's long career. Hate is also celebrating thirty years of activity with Rugia, Sinner affirming he is as driven as ever. "Well, the fire is still burning! I'm proud that I have built a band with such strong energy, that's lasted for a long time in spite of numerous lineup changes and obstacles in our way. We are still here and we create with ever growing consciousness and dedication. The energy speaks through us. Honestly, I think of the band as something much bigger and more profound than the individual people involved in it over any given period of time. I believe we create a channel for energies that surpass us."


Image

Tracklisting:
1. Rugia (04:31)
2. The Wolf Queen (02:30)
3. Exiles of Pantheon (03:48)
4. Saturnus (04:30)
5. Awakening the Gods Within (04:12)
6. Resurgence (03:40)
7. Velesian Guard (04:56)
8. Sun of Extinction (03:51)
9. Sacred Dnieper (03:56)

Rugia has been released as the first single:

Spoiler: show


As fan of the band's more recent work, I'm curious what the new album has in store. The first single sounds very much like an extension of the sound of Auric Gates of Veles, which is a good thing in my book.

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Frank Booth
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PostPosted: Thu Aug 19, 2021 11:44 am 
 

Hate became a vastly better band after they found their own identity and stopped being Great Value Deicide (the early shit) and Great Value Behemoth (Anaclasis to Crvsade: Zero). Getting Dan was also a huge step up, the kid's an absolute beast and fixes their historic issues with drummers (Malanowicz was fast and a hard hitter, but sloppy as shit, and Jaroszewicz had really awkward technique and was also pretty dodgy live).

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77hjrttfred
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Joined: Thu Jun 10, 2021 7:15 pm
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PostPosted: Thu Aug 19, 2021 6:30 pm 
 

Frank Booth wrote:
Jaroszewicz had really awkward technique and was also pretty dodgy live).


Well, I saw them live in 2018 and he sounded fine. Maybe you just saw him on a bad night? He also sounded good on record and did some great work with Vader as well. I did hear he had some health issues recently or something like that.

HATE are a group I want to like more than I do. I have the last three albums, to be honest I don't return to them that much. I prefer their albums up to Erebos. In particular, I found Solarflesh and Crvsade:Zero a bit boring with over polished productions.

Even so, I quite like the new single and the artwork. I will certainly give it a listen.

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MikeyC
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PostPosted: Thu Aug 19, 2021 7:37 pm 
 

Good song. I'll likely pick this one up. Solarflesh is my favourite album from these guys however everything has been at least good. :)
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Frank Booth
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PostPosted: Fri Aug 20, 2021 9:16 am 
 

77hjrttfred wrote:
Frank Booth wrote:
Jaroszewicz had really awkward technique and was also pretty dodgy live).


Well, I saw them live in 2018 and he sounded fine. Maybe you just saw him on a bad night? He also sounded good on record and did some great work with Vader as well. I did hear he had some health issues recently or something like that.

HATE are a group I want to like more than I do. I have the last three albums, to be honest I don't return to them that much. I prefer their albums up to Erebos. In particular, I found Solarflesh and Crvsade:Zero a bit boring with over polished productions.

Even so, I quite like the new single and the artwork. I will certainly give it a listen.




This is an example of what I'm talking about - he's really struggling with the blasts here. He was wobbly when I caught him in 2019 and really seemed to struggle with Belphegor's material, and his explanation for leaving Hate seemed to have a lot to do with his wrists being fucked up from his technique, which makes sense based on what I saw.

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jdmunyon
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Joined: Wed Jul 10, 2013 3:26 pm
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PostPosted: Fri Aug 20, 2021 10:02 am 
 

Agreed on the "Auric Gates of Veles" similarity, that album was pretty good (although I would say that side A had a bit of a leg up on side B).

The artwork is also really nice and would look great on vinyl, might need to splurge on that.

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swine_brothers
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Joined: Wed Oct 25, 2017 1:24 am
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PostPosted: Sun Aug 22, 2021 9:09 pm 
 

I love both early and later Hate, but good to see they've kinda found an identifiable sound. Can't wait!

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LithoJazzoSphere
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PostPosted: Sun Aug 22, 2021 10:14 pm 
 

This is looking to be a solid release from them. Some cool ride work in a few parts.

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Kalaratri
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PostPosted: Thu Sep 16, 2021 10:47 am 
 

The second single is out:


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77hjrttfred
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PostPosted: Fri Sep 17, 2021 12:05 am 
 

The song is fine. Could have easily come off the last album, Auric Gates of Veles. I really wish they would allow the bass to have a more prominent role in the music. It might add a lot more to the music.

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demonomania
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PostPosted: Fri Sep 17, 2021 9:23 am 
 

Nice to see a video that starts with a camera following a guy slowly walking around in nature, then cuts to the band getting ready to play/starting to lay into the song, and then shows us what evil thing the walking guy was going to do. Very unique.
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Kalaratri
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PostPosted: Fri Sep 17, 2021 3:48 pm 
 

I really dig both of the singles they've released. It's definitely a continuation of the last album without being a complete retread. I feel like this one is going to be a bit more atmospheric.

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Frank Booth
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PostPosted: Tue Oct 12, 2021 6:26 pm 
 

Arrived early in the mail. It's in line with their output from Tremendum onwards, but it works for them - it's just solid, unpretentious blackened death that feels like them instead of B-sides from Zos Kia Cultus and Demigod.

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Kalaratri
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PostPosted: Thu Oct 14, 2021 8:00 pm 
 

The full album stream is now available:


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MeltedFace
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Joined: Mon Aug 18, 2008 12:29 am
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PostPosted: Fri Oct 15, 2021 3:50 pm 
 

My first impressions of Rugia are incredibly positive. Hate is one of the most consistent bands but what really strikes me about the new album is how well they've melded the songwriting, pacing, and production to give us the total package. There are certainly some standout tracks but the Rugia is seamless listening at its core.

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e_ddi_e
Metalhead

Joined: Fri Sep 18, 2009 9:00 am
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Location: Sweden
PostPosted: Wed Oct 20, 2021 3:22 am 
 

After a week or so of listening, I’m pretty sure this will be on my top 10 this year. It’s a really solid album.

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77hjrttfred
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PostPosted: Fri Nov 05, 2021 1:05 am 
 

I have been giving this a focused listen over the last week. I think it's their best album since 'Erebos', and a kind of perfection of the sound that they have been trying to achieve on the last few albums. Contrary to what I said before, the bass is much higher in the mix on this album and actually plays an important role on a few songs. I feel that this had been something missing on some of the recent albums.

I also feel the production is really great, much better that the sterile job done on "Crvsade:Zero" for example. The final piece is that the album is much shorter, and better for it. Some of their more recent albums have been around 50 minutes, this one comes in around 36 minutes.

Overall, a fantastic release and I think arguable the best of their career.

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Lagartija
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Joined: Wed Aug 02, 2006 10:27 am
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Location: Catalunya
PostPosted: Fri Nov 05, 2021 4:36 am 
 

I really dig this latest record and the previous one, much more than their earlier albums (granted, I only gave some of them a cursory listen a long time ago, should probably revisit them), and this is much more my bag than Behemoth, who I could never get on with outside their initial black metal stuff.

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Frank Booth
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Joined: Fri Aug 31, 2012 9:29 pm
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PostPosted: Fri Nov 05, 2021 5:15 am 
 

Lagartija wrote:
I really dig this latest record and the previous one, much more than their earlier albums (granted, I only gave some of them a cursory listen a long time ago, should probably revisit them), and this is much more my bag than Behemoth, who I could never get on with outside their initial black metal stuff.


Early shit is basically just store brand Deicide - it's not bad, but hardly remarkable. Anaclasis was around when they moved to the store brand Behemoth sound, and that era was hit-or-miss but absolutely had some bangers, and I still think Erebos and Solarflesh are genuinely good albums. Crvsade:Zero was around when that style started running on fumes, and I think they felt the same, which explains the big shift on Tremendum to a less Behemoth-oriented and more blackened sound that has also featured their best work to date.

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Lagartija
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PostPosted: Fri Nov 05, 2021 8:54 am 
 

Cool, thanks for the rundown :)

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Bingewolf
Metalhead

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Location: United States
PostPosted: Fri Nov 05, 2021 3:53 pm 
 

My take: if you were never a fan of the style, you can say you don't like it. But if you like this style of DM, Hate's new album is great!

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