Hatesphere – The Killing EP
SPV Records– SPV 056-99262 CD - May 24, 2005
By Josh Phillips
With
The Killing EP,
Hatesphere unleashes the first of two releases set for 2005, with the other being a full-length, entitled
The Sickness Within(Sep. 26). Mixing death with thrash as so many bands do these days, it is at least refreshing to know that
Hatesphere was one of the earlier bands to use this idea after forming in 1993, despite the fact that no full-length was released until 2001. Hailing from the land of the Danes,
Hatesphere mix melody, groove and thrashing riffs into a formula you’re either going to love or hate.
Now, this is a four song EP and
Hatesphere manages to keep it short and sweet, as will I. Everything you’d expect from the death/thrash genre is here, but
Hatesphere manages to fall more into that strange category of “modern thrash”, if you will. The band embraces their thrashing tendencies and every song on this record races forward at full speed, resting only to occasionally grind away, as the riffs flash in and out of existence. The drum work is quite adequate, if not a standout and the bass is mostly a non-factor in this form of music. This is certainly a record where you keep your ears tuned to the guitar to catch the blazing solos and riffs galore. Meanwhile, the vocals leave something to be desired, though decent, they are stuck in-between a growl and traditional thrash vocals and sometimes come off with that painful shouty sound we could all do without. As you'd expect, you can hear a lot of
The Haunted in this band's music.
Overall, this album would make great party or driving music and it can certainly get you pumped up, leading me to believe that
Hatesphere would be a killer live band. Really, I don’t mean to come off sounding too harsh, this is above average music and I enjoy it. It fills a certain niche we all have. The niche for unrelenting, aggressive music. The only problem is that there are so many other bands of various genres who do it better.
This is a short, entertaining, solid EP and
Hatesphere should definitely be praised for one thing, and that is accomplishing what an EP is meant to accomplish.
The Killing EP is an excellent demo of the band’s sound and lets you know right away whether you’ll like them or not, and if so, it leaves you hanging on the edge wanting more. Good, but honestly something I won’t often reach for in my collection. Above average death/thrash, but I’ll stick to “Angel of Death.”
7/10
Official Hatesphere Website
Official SPV Records Website
