Chronic
Hate – Reflection on Ruin
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)
