HATE

Polish death metal is no longer a phenomenon -- it's a disease. And the Warsaw-based HATE exhibit all the symptoms: buzzing bludgeoning, sepulchral roars from a wounded vocalist, jagged, zigzagging solos, bass boiling at infrasonic frequencies. All of this has been raised on the digital yeast of the notorious Hertz Studio, signed to Listenable Records, and positively seethes with inhuman malice. The songs aren't dragged out -- two to three minutes each, which is a plus -- and the grim booklet is packed to the brim with horned skulls, demons, and other characters from the dreams of a PC gamer who's played too much Doom. It's hard to single out any unique strengths, just as it's impossible to point to any glaring weaknesses -- everything is frustratingly even, traditional, formulaic. Fans of the style will undoubtedly enjoy "Awakening Of The Liar," while everyone else is strongly advised to revisit VADER's back catalog -- the Polish scene won't squeeze out anything greater than what's already there.