Band:
Burkhard Schmitt – vocals
Mark Künnemann – guitars
Bauke De Groot – bass
Helge Dolgener – drums
Diskography:
1994 Theater Of Hate
1995 I.Q. Zero
1997 Pzyco!
2004 H8 For The Masses
2008 Degüello Wartunes
Info:
Produced by Ralf Müller & Hate Squad
Recorded & mixed by Ralf Müller at Rape of Harmonies studios (Germany)
Mastered by Olman Viper at Hertzwerk (Hamburg)
Front cover by Tobias Huber (Nürnberg)
Booklet artwork and layout by Hiko Kramer (Hamburg)
Released 28/10-2011
Reviewed 7/12-2011
Links:
hatesquad.com
myspace
reverbnation
last-fm
youtube
massacre
Groove extreme metal with a spice of hardcore and aggression, they have a vocalist with quite a decent growly range as well I would say. Thing is though that I think their music sounds about like most other bands in the genre, what was once unique has now become a common thing which is something that has placed Hate Squad a bit down from the forefront of the innovative part of the music. They are a tight band though and the production reeks of experience as well as know-how which gives them a sound that is amongst the top names in the genre. The sense of aggression and hate is ever present so to speak, groovy extreme metal is probably the best description of what you will hear when you listen to this album. The album has fifteen tracks if you have the digipak, two of those are bonus tracks, and that version plays for little over 56 minutes while the regular edition plays two songs shorter.
It opens with a nice acoustic piece that reminds of the California where Zorro used to make life miserable for the bad guys, it is a great piece making you adjust your hat slightly to appear a little cooler than you are. It then moves into the album’s title track which is a mayhem of energy and grooviness, it is also the track where the album really comes to force because the following tracks feels quite pale in comparison. I would not say that those tracks are poor but they are not as good as the title track and it feels a bit like they are much energy but no direction, like being lost in the desert and running furiously round in circles until you drop dead from exhaustion and water depravation and also possibly heat stroke. It goes on like that for a while until the final track, on the digi edition that is, Every Second Counts which is another one of those groovy tracks that grabs you and shakes you and it has a direction making so much better than the other tracks.
I should say though that it might sound like I disprove of the tracks I do not mention but that is not the case, they are good to listen to but they do not have that final touch that makes Katharsis or the ending track to the great tracks they are. So I would say that there are glimpses of brilliance in an otherwise good album, so it is not difficult to approve this album, it may not be of the forefront and groundbreaking but it is classical Hate Squad and it sounds good even though I would say that they have been passed by other bands in the genre nowadays but as it is every despot have to be dethroned some time.
So a good album which is a little bit out of direction for most part of the album but when they find their bearings they are brilliant, two tracks are magnificent and one intro is great the other twelve tracks are good. So easily approved and well worth listening to if you like this kind of music, Every Second Counts is a stroke of genius and that is a track I probably will return to, the same goes for the excellent title track. To end this review I would state that this is a good album with some touches of brilliance.
HHHHHHH
Previous reviews:
Yes - In the Present - Live from Lyon
Wolf's Gang - Apocalypse
Coexistence - Flow
Previous articles:
Mystic Prophecy
Coronatus
Majesty
