Hath is a New Jersey blackened death metal band. I was initially introduced to them a few months back on MetalSuck's "Unsigned and Unholy" article. Shared at the same time as our friends, Odetosun, they were also pitched under the "Opethian metal" moniker that has been floating around. While there are some parallels in sound here, Hath has much of its own style to offer.
Before I go any further, I recommend to the hesitant to not necessarily start with the opening track. There is nothing wrong with it...I just feel that it falls short of what the other songs showcase as the album progresses. That said, back to the Opeth comparison. If Opeth switched Åkerfeldt for Spiros Antoniou; and traded the folky, jazzy overtones with tech death and neoclassical: the result might not be far off of Hive. What remains still has some structural similarities, and even some comparable riffs; but the connection pretty much ends there.
There is even what feels like a direct nod to the group's softer side on aptly-labeled track, "Replicated," but when I think Opeth, words that come to mind are "bouncy," "timeless," and "campfires"; not subwoofer bassdrops and demonic violence. This music is far more aggressive and not concerned with your "grandpa's guitars." More tremolo, more double bass, more palm mutes. Anything to incur maximum wrath. Deeper growls, harsher shrieks. Clean vocals? F#@k clean singing. We have a village to burn.
This is all to say that if you want some really heavy blackened death metal more on par with something like Behemoth, Hath is most certainly for you. Both approaches to the genre are equally valid in my opinion, I just want you to know what to expect. In any case, there is a lot of killer riffing all over these 6 tracks from the grooving rhythm section to the constantly shifting styles of the leads. And the drummer just kills this thing. My personal favorite track is "Swarm." Stream Hive below and pick it up for the price of your choice.
