- Apr 5, 2003
- 2,668
- 2
- 38
Hatesphere - The Sickness Within
SPV (Steamhammer) - SPV 99662 CD - 2006
By Brandon Strader
One can grow weary of the hundreds and hundreds of existent gothenburg-sound groups. They all seem to sound so similar to each other. A band that tries so hard to sound average... why? Is there a point? Not to sound overly critical, but everything from the album name - The Sickness Within - to the artwork, the song titles... It is all very familiar. Same gothenburg sound, same gothenburg concepts... That's not to say Hatesphere is a group that's not worth your time, however they can never compare to the greats - or even some of the more recent groups - of the Gothenburg scene. Hatesphere takes a less melodic direction, relying more on the heavy thrashing than pursuing melody. The arrangements are fairly basic, usually falling back upon the powerchord-smothered breakdowns made popular by metalcore/hardcore groups.
The guitar work may be tight, the percussion mighty, and the vocals well-performed and thick, but where is the creativity? This group shines as a gothenburg clone, and for this will probably receive much praise from fans of the scene, but for those who want a bit of originality in their gothenburg metal, it's probably best to stick with the classics and pioneers of the scene.
The music barely strays from its basic platform - also known as the detuned heavy powerchord. Most of the time on The Sickness Within is spent repeating that detuned powerchord over and over. Lead guitars are played, but they make no impression upon the music because the bass section is still playing the basic low note throughout, which leaves the vibe of the music very stagnant and unchanging. It's a shame: the energetic performances and grinding vocals are made void by the plain songwriting and overused gothenburg elements.
5/10
By thrash standards: 4/10 (There, you happy?
)
UMs Review Rating Scale
Official Hatesphere Website
Official SPV Website
SPV (Steamhammer) - SPV 99662 CD - 2006
By Brandon Strader
One can grow weary of the hundreds and hundreds of existent gothenburg-sound groups. They all seem to sound so similar to each other. A band that tries so hard to sound average... why? Is there a point? Not to sound overly critical, but everything from the album name - The Sickness Within - to the artwork, the song titles... It is all very familiar. Same gothenburg sound, same gothenburg concepts... That's not to say Hatesphere is a group that's not worth your time, however they can never compare to the greats - or even some of the more recent groups - of the Gothenburg scene. Hatesphere takes a less melodic direction, relying more on the heavy thrashing than pursuing melody. The arrangements are fairly basic, usually falling back upon the powerchord-smothered breakdowns made popular by metalcore/hardcore groups.
The guitar work may be tight, the percussion mighty, and the vocals well-performed and thick, but where is the creativity? This group shines as a gothenburg clone, and for this will probably receive much praise from fans of the scene, but for those who want a bit of originality in their gothenburg metal, it's probably best to stick with the classics and pioneers of the scene.
The music barely strays from its basic platform - also known as the detuned heavy powerchord. Most of the time on The Sickness Within is spent repeating that detuned powerchord over and over. Lead guitars are played, but they make no impression upon the music because the bass section is still playing the basic low note throughout, which leaves the vibe of the music very stagnant and unchanging. It's a shame: the energetic performances and grinding vocals are made void by the plain songwriting and overused gothenburg elements.
5/10
By thrash standards: 4/10 (There, you happy?
)UMs Review Rating Scale
Official Hatesphere Website
Official SPV Website
