The Pitch: Italian black metal crew Handful Of Hate celebrate 26 years in the field with a no BS new album via code666. FFO: Inquisition, Satyricon, Marduk
What I Like: I was not previously familiar with Handful Of Hate, and if you're the same way I found the best reference point to be Inquisition. While HoH don't have the same croaky vocals, they bring a very similar approach to the guitars. Tracks like "Celebrate Consume ... Burn!" and "Idols to Hung" sound stright out of Ominous Doctrines of the Perpetual Mystical Macrocosm. High speed tremolos, massive, layered production, and abundance of string bending combine for maximum intergalactic malevolence. As such, Adversus burns like an unquenchable hellfire in the cosmos. I also appreciate the varied pacing. While much of the album turns up the rpm's, that only makes slower marches like "Down Lower" and "Icons With Devoured Faces" all the more provacative.
Critiques: For all of it's strengths, Adversus is also pretty darn paint-by-numbers. Don't expect these guys to bring anything new to the table.
The Verdict: Handful Of Hate are another solid black metal band with seemingly little interest in change. Even the best of us tend to become set in our ways with each passing decade. But hell, with an approach this impactful, why deviate course now? For a good, old fashioned black metal romp, you can't go wrong with Adversus.
Flight's Fav's: Severed and Reversed (Feudal Attitude), Celebrate Consume ... Burn!, Idols to Hung
- Review by FlightOfIcarus
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