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By JEFF MAKI
Hate Eternal's vocalist/guitarist Erik Rutan is becoming a well-known force in metal due to his production skills at his very own Mana Recording Studios. He has produced albums by Cannibal Corpse, Through the Eyes of the Dead, Vital Remains and a host of others in recent years. But let's not forget that he has his own band, Hate Eternal. Rutan is a self-taught guitarist and formerly was in Morbid Angel. This is Hate Eternal's fourth studio album and first for Metal Blade Records. Hate Eternal always has pushed the levels of extremity. Each song they craft features unrelenting blasts of death metal fury, guttural vocals and a tone so evil that any metal band that comes close to rivaling it deserves merit. Fury and Flames continues along the same destructive path as its predecessors with a 10-track offering of extremity.
Along with a new label, Hate Eternal has a new lineup on this album. Alex Webster (Cannibal Corpse) is now on bass; Jade Simonetto is the new drummer; and guitarist Shaune Kelly (Ripping Corpse with Rutan) rounds it out. The all-out mayhem this quartet produces is absolutely insane. There's barely a breather between the barrage of blast beats while Rutan barks indecipherable lyrics. Hate Eternal ups the ante in technical death metal with this album. But as great and gifted metal musicians as these guys are, the album is sometimes hard to follow. Though variety is noticeably lacking, one can't help but admire the pure speed, intensity and skill in each and every composition. Because of this, it's nearly impossible to pick out one particular track for description. They all form into one ferocious monster. Around track seven, “Proclamation of the Damned,” I was all but worn out. Call me a wuss, but I think Hate Eternal should add some versatility to their repertoire. If they slowed things down now and then (maybe something to the effect of Morbid Angel's “Where the Slime Live”), they could deliver even more of a crushing blow. But something tells me that slowing things down would get boring really quick for Rutan and the boys. I have seen Hate Eternal perform live before and they might have been the heaviest act I've ever seen. Rutan is dead-serious about his band and a master at his work. Once again he delivers one of the more extreme metal albums ever. By this time, fans should expect nothing less.
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