By: Graham "Gruhamed" Hartmann
Like your metal disgustingly heavy? Almost like your skin is crawling with cockroaches while you're being hopelessly pulled down to into fire and eternal suffering? Well then good news! Hate Eternal is working on their fifth studio album and follow up to Fury & Flames, once again taming the beast at Erik Rutan's own Mana Recording Studios. JJ Hrubovcak has been added as the band's bassist and the devastating combo of Erik Rutan on guitar and Jade Simonetto on drums is sure to produce something intense.
Frontman Erik Rutan offers the following update:
"The band has been locked up in Mana Recording Studios doing pre-production for the past 2 months, finishing up songs that we have been writing over the last year in between tours and albums that I've produced, and we feel we have come up with one of Hate Eternal's heaviest, most twisted, evil, melodic, and insane albums yet.
It was my goal to expand upon what the band has done in the past, and add new dynamics and twists to the traditional, dissonant Hate Eternal style, yet keep it in the same vein. It took the three of us really pushing ourselves, and digging deep into the essence of who we are as musicians and writers and players to create something very unique and special. We cannot wait for everyone to hear what we have in store. Look out for updates from the studio over the next few months."
Hate Eternal's 2008 release Fury and Flames raked in stellar reviews from critics, but received mixed reviews from their fan base, some complaining about the lack of captivating riffs, drone-like atmosphere and get this; that the album was too heavy! I personally like Fury and Flames a lot, but I definitely understand the nature of the criticism. If this new album sounds as evil as Fury and Flames mixed with putridly infective riffs reminiscent of I, Monarch, I think 2011 could very well see its best death metal album coming from St. Petersburg, Florida.
