Listen, I’ll make this short because frankly listening to Hate Manifesto‘s ΑΠΟΣΤΑΤΗΣ (‘Apostate’) gives me a headache, and I want to get this review knocked out ASAP.

As much as I love being enveloped by swathes of orchestral and symphonic elements in my metal, sometimes a good no-frills, solid kick in the teeth gets me riled up and resets my metal equilibrium a little bit. And that’s exactly what Greek duo, Hate Manifesto has done with their second, punishing full-length album, I should say I have not heard the first one though.

I have not had my senses this directly, and mercilessly beaten in a long time, maybe going back to Morgue’s The Process to Define the Shape of Self-Loathing way back in 2002 (still a relentless masterpiece) as Hate Manifesto‘s unrelenting black/death metal just pummels from start to finish.

Who is behind this noise? Founder ‘W.S.P’ (ex-Inveracity,  Cult of Eibon, Black Blood Invocation) is on bass, guitar, and vocals and Bloodhammer who has been in Marduk, Eucharist, and Panzerchrist, is the drummer (though things do sound a bit programmed in this department), and boy do they make a racket. Think if Marduk were way more down-tuned, had gruffer death metal vocals, and made out with The Berzerker.

The 35 minutes and 7 songs (opener “Inauguration of Triumphal Ascension” is just a 2-minute intro), rarely breaks stride as Bloodhammer is just a nonstop force- even when there is a rare respite such as the start of “Chains of the Oppressor pt II” or end of “Sworn to Hatred’ , he’s still full go and its absolutely devastating.

And to be honest, the 35 minutes is perfect as the likes of “Extinction Ordained”, “Poison Infliction”, “Purging the Seeds of Pestilence”, “Extermination Order” and “Deconstructing the Assemblage of Deception”  are just fucking bludgeoning as fuck, and if this thing got in the 40+ minute realm, I’m not sure my ears could take this exhaustive brutality for an extended period of time.

A manifesto on hate for sure, as  this is excellent brutal stuff, and one of 2023s most uncompromising releases.

[Visit the band's website]

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