Haterush Mark of the Warrior
Black Lotus Records 2004
By Jason Jordan
Black Lotus Records houses a handful of bands that are truly exceptional, and said label houses a few groups that arent so exceptional. Haterush is most assuredly one of the latter, and Mark of the Warrior isnt worth your time or mine.
Mostly, the quartet whittle away at the offshoot known as Swedish power metal. All musical performances are on par with other purveyors within the same genre. Embretssons vocals, however, are rather unmotivated; or it seems as if hes holding back his fair share of abilities. The requisite elements are all here: epic intro, lame attempt at being grandiose, etcetera. With lyrics like, I am just another hero / striving to get through, you probably know what youre in store for. Those lyrics can be found on Dying to Surrender. Its not all bad, though. There are some outstanding riffs, even if the aforementioned are few and far between. Furthermore, theres an overwhelming sense of harmony that abounds within Mark of the Warrior, but somewhere along the line the band made it underwhelming. Still, theres nothing atypical here. I wouldve loved to have seen some differentiation and a conscience decision to shy away from clichés. But, with so many bands content to chase the formulaic leaders of the genre (the ones who actually forged the formulas), its no surprise that Haterush dont measure up to stalwart metallers.
Maybe Im being too tough on the guys. After all, this is their debut album and it shows more promise than a lot of releases out there. In any case, Mark of the Warrior left me feeling bitter and unfulfilled. Sympathy is too taxing.
5/10
Official Haterush website
Official Black Lotus Records website
Black Lotus Records 2004
By Jason Jordan
Black Lotus Records houses a handful of bands that are truly exceptional, and said label houses a few groups that arent so exceptional. Haterush is most assuredly one of the latter, and Mark of the Warrior isnt worth your time or mine.
Mostly, the quartet whittle away at the offshoot known as Swedish power metal. All musical performances are on par with other purveyors within the same genre. Embretssons vocals, however, are rather unmotivated; or it seems as if hes holding back his fair share of abilities. The requisite elements are all here: epic intro, lame attempt at being grandiose, etcetera. With lyrics like, I am just another hero / striving to get through, you probably know what youre in store for. Those lyrics can be found on Dying to Surrender. Its not all bad, though. There are some outstanding riffs, even if the aforementioned are few and far between. Furthermore, theres an overwhelming sense of harmony that abounds within Mark of the Warrior, but somewhere along the line the band made it underwhelming. Still, theres nothing atypical here. I wouldve loved to have seen some differentiation and a conscience decision to shy away from clichés. But, with so many bands content to chase the formulaic leaders of the genre (the ones who actually forged the formulas), its no surprise that Haterush dont measure up to stalwart metallers.
Maybe Im being too tough on the guys. After all, this is their debut album and it shows more promise than a lot of releases out there. In any case, Mark of the Warrior left me feeling bitter and unfulfilled. Sympathy is too taxing.
5/10
Official Haterush website
Official Black Lotus Records website
