Review: Hatesphere

hates
Hatesphere
“Bloodred Hatred”
(Century Media)

Pretty good death metal.  The guitar even plays some very elegant solos.  The drummer is a beastly machine and really keeps the songs centered and moving.  The vocals are your standard death metal fare, maybe on the weaker side.  The songs are at there best when there’re no vocals, and you can focus on the thick slab of guitar.  They lay down some good riffs and play off a little bit of intricacy, not much, but a little.  This is album is damn good, but it if it was a fish I’d throw it back.  Oh yes, it’s over the legal length to keep, but I just can’t do it.  I won’t eat this one.  Back you go.

I’d dig a more traditional vocalist on this.  Whatever happened to the Chuck Billys, the Paul Baloffs and the old timey Hetfields?  Is there something wrong with that style of vocal now?  Or how about some off the wall craziness like Blaine Fart from the Accused?  Is it too much to ask for something like that?  Must I be subjected to the same roaring bear again and again?  Please, people, for the love of my poor tortured ears, don’t settle for “We need a singer so, oh, he’ll do.”  I don’t mean to particularly disparage the vocalist from Hatesphere.

This part of the review isn’t necessarily about him.  This has just come to a head for me now, and unfortunately for Hatesphere it’s while I’m listening to their album.  What I’m saying goes out to many a great death metal band who have seemingly settled on the safe route.  Go with the guy who can sound just like everybody else so we’re firmly rooted in the big generic stew that is the death metal scene.  That’s just not going to cut it anymore.  You need more to justify your existence with me.