Hate Eternal – Fury and Flames

[genocide roach]

Hate Eternal – Fury and Flames
Metal Blade – 3984-14656-2 – 19 Feb 2008
By Ryan Starr

Back in ’97, Erik Rutan parted ways with Morbid Angel to start a new project. That project was Hate Eternal. 11 years later, they have become a house hold name in the death metal scene. This year gave us Hate Eternal’s fourth full length titled Fury and Flames.

Overall, this is exactly what we have come to expect from Rutan, high velocity and high impact death metal. The riffs seem solid, even though the production is a bit muddy during the tech parts. While Rutan is known for his studio skills, and there is some definite power behind this mix, I think he missed the mark just a little bit. Not only are some parts a bit murky, you can’t hear any of Alex Webster’s bass work. That is the part that really annoyed me. Webster is a god amongst metal bass players. To cover up his playing is simply criminal, especially when you brag about his work being “like compositions rather than bass lines”.

Mixing problems aside, Fury and Flames is a decent release. It’s on par with I, Monarch but doesn’t match up to Conquering the Throne. If you’re a fan of Hate Eternal, you will probably enjoy this, but if you’re new to the band, I would buy the first two albums.

Official Hate Eternal Myspace
Official Metal Blade Website

 

[OldScratch]

Webster's talents are essentially wasted here, as he is burried beneath an absolute thunderstorm of drums, vocals and guitar - which never seem to let up. The mix is bottom-heavy in the extreme, and I actually prefer a production that tends that way...but this is basically impenitrable! After about two songs it just overwhelms the listener...

Still, if you desire full-tilt, precisely delivered blast and rumble Death Metal...this may do you right!

 

[Bleakest Harvest]

Hate Eternal's hype seems to based purely on his Morbid Angel stint - i've continually been disappointed by HE's work, pretty much bog standard death metal, and this one is no different.

 

[hibernal dream.]

Don't know what you guys are on about. The bass is perfectly audible and the production is sharp, not muddy. It's their style of playing that doesn't suit a loud bass. Listen to the second half of Bringer of Storms which is atypical for Hate Eternal and you'll see what I mean. That said, I think the drums are slightly too high in the mix but they have always been loud and it suits the band's sound.

If it was not for the several sub-par songs (Fury Within, Tombeau, Hell Envenom) I'd call this their best release.

 

[OldScratch]

Don't know what you guys are on about. The bass is perfectly audible and the production is sharp, not muddy. It's their style of playing that doesn't suit a loud bass. Listen to the second half of Bringer of Storms which is atypical for Hate Eternal and you'll see what I mean. That said, I think the drums are slightly too high in the mix but they have always been loud and it suits the band's sound.

If it was not for the several sub-par songs (Fury Within, Tombeau, Hell Envenom) I'd call this their best release.

Well, a listening experience is always subjective so, maybe it's my ears or my stereo(s). Still, I don't find the production muddy - there is just so much going simultaneously so much of the time, that the overall mix is just too...powerful, for lack of a better term, for its own good at times. Push Webster up a bit and the drums(kicks especially)down a hair or two and we might be onto something. Again, your milage may vary...

 

[C.J.W.Wyatt]

Well, when I saw them live, I couldn't discern one song off of this album from any of the band's previous material. Granted, the live production was shit, but then oftentimes most of Hate Eternal's music is just plain monotonous. This album seems no different from the last two they released. I found their debut 'Conquering the Throne' to be the most refreshing material the band has put out, and it ends there. This band has such talent too.

 

[Balphagor]

Their production is unlistenable, they need better sound quality.

 

[Stormwatch]

I think they need to slow down a bit more often. "Faceless One" is, for me, the best song they've ever done. Fury and Flames was just endless fucking blasting, with each song running into the other, with no sort of discernible hook to be found.
Still, at least Rutan's still writing music, which can't be said for Trey these days.