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By JEFF MAKI
Danish thrash metallers Hatesphere had a phenomenal album with 2005's The Sickness Within, embedding their name in the minds of thousands of metalheads worldwide. Serpent Smiles and Killer Eyes further builds on the deadly combination of thrashing Slayer riffs and sickening vocals by adding more ingredients to the metal pot, namely hints of melody and more dynamics.
Don't worry, Hatesphere have not drastically changed their sound on this record. Variations in tempo are more prominent but the band is still up close and personal, with a sound that threatens to rip your face off. “Lies and Deceit” opens with a Haunted-style attack; in fact, the band is even closer to the Haunted's sound here, due to Tue Madsen handling the mixing duties. And there's still that element of hardcore present in Hatesphere's music. Some clean vocals are attempted in “The Slain”; and I say that loosely, but even some ugly singing adds to the song. “Damned Below Judas”'s catchy riff reminds me of last album's title track and is a standout here. “Drinking with the King of the Dead” is partially taken out of Phil Anselmo's and Down's songbook, featuring slower swampy riffs and sick, growled vocals from Jacob Bredahl. The song even begins with the sounds of crickets and harmonica. It is a slight departure in style for Hatesphere, but it is pulled off without a hitch. You still get a hefty dose of aggression and pissed-off hardcore metal anthems: “Forever War,” “Feeding the Demons” and “Let Them Hate” are some of the heaviest, nastiest material Hatesphere has yet recorded. Bredahl's vocals almost hurt the listener's throat and the rough guitar tone cuts like a knife. The album's last song, “Absolution,” features an instrumental outro with sinister keyboards, something entirely new to the band.
It's time by now that metal fans take notice of a rising force. These guys are just plain incapable of putting out something subpar. These new injections into their sound add texture and depth to an already heavy-as-hell, razor-sharp attack.
For fans of Slayer, The Haunted, Pantera, Down, Trivium, As I Lay Dying. |
