7 Jul 2021

EP review: Chronic Hate – Reflection on Ruin (2021)


Chronic Hate – Reflection on Ruin

Italy

Self-released (Bandcamp)

Chronic Hate is a five-piece death metal band from Italy that formed in 2001. So far, the band have put out several releases, including two full-lengths – and now this – their latest EP entitled, “Reflection on Ruin.” This EP pretty much blew me away. It sounds like the band has been honing their craft for years, as the verily accomplished musicianship can attest to this. The music is truly crushing and aimed directly at the skull. Vocals are very audible in the mix – powerful and guttural – including the band’s proclivity for sharp, brutalizing riffs, and hard-hitting drumming that sounds like live machine gun fire. (The drummer is an absolute beast behind the kit!) Chronic Hate perfectly demonstrates the effectiveness of EP’s, as the material in question is nothing short of devastating. There’s also an excellent cover of Dismember’s classic “Misanthropic”, which is a must hear. The band strikes a good balance between melody and brutality, infusing a heavy dose of Scandinavian influences into their sound, as well as some keyboard passages that add depth to the atmosphere. Chronic Hate is very adept at playing excellent death metal, as the song-writing and quality of their music speaks for itself. A really enjoyable EP. I’ll be checking out more of their material for sure. For fans of: Vader, Fleshcrawl, Krisiun. (HT)