HATE "Auric Gates of Veles"

HATE

“Auric Gates of Veles”

HATE have always been on a search for who they really are. Starting off as Polish death metal, they’ve added influences from industrial music and black metal over the years. Thankfully they got over their horrendous industrial phase. It seems like they have settled on a pure and traditional black metal style and this is where we find “Auric Gates of Veles” firmly parked.

There are some really inspiring moments here, heard nowhere better than the monstrous title track. This is one of the better slow-paced black metal songs I have ever heard. There’s some really intense crawling riffs on this monster that  conjure up a feeling of sickness. As has been the case since 1991, the animalistic roars of vocalist ATF Sinner match the music perfectly. I also find “Sovereign Sanctity” and the chilling “Path to Arkhen” to be strong examples of HATE’s craft.

The rest of the album comes across as good but somewhat standard black metal, playing it pretty safe within the usual parameters of the genre. HATE has never really had a true breakout album and “Auric Gates of Veles” is still not quite that album, but it’s the best one from these guys in a few years now and should satisfy those looking for freezing BM played correctly.

METAL BLADE

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