I don’t really have any idea why I feel a need to review this. However, I looked at the review section and noticed that this was the only Hate Eternal disc that was yet to be reviewed. After examining the previous reviews, I realized that my opinion would be quite the same.

We all know who Eric Rutan is and that is what his purpose was. Instead of remaining in the shadows of an obscure band such as Ripping Corpse (who I have yet to hear - somehow $100 on E-bay just doesn’t do it for me) or following Trey around to abandoned temples to listen to him record solos for Morbid Angel, he has decided to step out into the limelight. And this move was calculated and well-done. The first Hate Eternal album was very enjoyable, highly technical, and brutal indeed. It was an all-star cast of sorts and one wouldn’t expect any less of this band. So, what would be next, especially with the departure of Doug Cerrito? Exactly what I thought it would be - The release of an album that couldn’t hold a candle or dildo to the last release!

A new drummer enters the fold, Derek "One Take" (it says this on the promo disc) Roddy, whose performance on the oft-hated In Cold Blood album by Malevolent Creation was commendable. It was always amazing to me how bands like this loose such a great drummer and then are able to find another one with equal, if not better, skill. If we examine the skill of the new album, it is unsurpassed. The drumming is phenomenal, the guitars are super fast and played without error, and the bass is there, I guess. I don’t really hear it. Roddy blasts the entire time. It would be great to see him and the guy from Krisiun have a strong-man contest to see who can blast for the longest time. And then after that, they can throw full kegs over a 30 foot wall and pull an 18-wheeler fifty yards. Don’t count out that guy from Poland. But that guy Magnus Samuelsson wins all the time anyway.

Rutan continues with his Domination era riffing style but it doesn’t do much for me on this release. I think the last release was so powerful and effective because it played on the contrasting styles of Rutan and Cerrito, with Rutan’s evil and dare I say, majestic, style flowing over Cerrito’s down and dirty Long Island brutal death style (Bitch! Long Island is Wildin’!). Now that I think back, I might have enjoyed Hate Eternal more knowing that Suffocation was no longer around. It was a bit faster and lacked Frank Mullen and Mike Smith’s unique styles, but it filled the void. And it was able to do this because of the Suffocation-style riffs that dominated the album. With Rutan constantly stepping out from behind shadows during his career, I wonder if he felt this way on the first release, with Cerrito’s sound being much more powerful. Somehow, I am not surprised Cerrito wasn’t on this release.

It is hard to bash an album like this. It is highly technical and well executed but somewhat mundane and lacks the intensity of the first album. I know many people are fans of this band and even this style of death metal, but this album does little for me. To be honest, I haven’t listened to the first disc in quite sometime. Actually, I have lost my penchant for this style of death metal. Albums by Hate Eternal, Krisiun, Nile, and the likes have been gathering dust in my collection for quite sometime now. I keep them for nostalgic reasons and they are good for the occasional listen. It makes them seem as fresh as they did when the albums were originally released. Give me a muddy recording, mosh riffs galore, a cheesesteak, and 6 pack of Spaten Optimators and I am set.

Written By: Double Ds