Siege of Hate-Subversive By Nature
Candlelight Records-CDL188-February 22, 2005
By Josh Phillips
Siege of Hate formed in April 1997 as a group fed up with "poppy punk" and aiming to forge their own path. After releasing the demo, Return to Ashes, the band is back for their full-length debut, entitled Subversive By Nature. On this album you'll find a quick dose of politically driven Grind, where out of 20 songs, only 4 surpass the 3 minute mark. In fact, 7 songs last less than a minute. Siege of Hate are here to deliver a hit and run blast of grindcore and Subversive By Nature serves as their outlet.
The album's first highlight is the title track, the second piece. After a short sample at the end of "Say Your Prayers" introduces the song, a grooving riff rolls out and serves as the backbone for the rest of the track. A quick burst of energy to get things going. "The Walls Built Inside Us" is another solid cut, with competent muddy bass work being a focal point. "Nightmares of War" showcases a more blasting, furious side to the band than the last few groove-oriented tracks, firing away with lower growls. "The Chosen Ones" follows the same path, while "Fake" mixes the two styles with some vocals now more closely resembling hardcore. "Obscene Truth" is a 40 second blast that begins with more bass work out in the open, always a welcome trait. The rest of the album continues in much the same way, utilizing these various tendencies. Death metal growls, hardcore yells, groove-based riffs and blasting speed.
An enjoyable, albeit unspectacular release. I would have liked to see the songs developed to a greater extent, similar to what they did with closing track, "U.S.A." The release runs about 30 minutes, which is a good length for an album of this kind, but the mass of sometimes unconcentrated songs makes it seem much longer. Draw out the songs to 3 minutes each and put ten of them down and you've got a solid record. Good, with the potential to be more.
6.5/10
Official Siege of Hate Website
Official Candlelight USA Website
Candlelight Records-CDL188-February 22, 2005
By Josh Phillips
Siege of Hate formed in April 1997 as a group fed up with "poppy punk" and aiming to forge their own path. After releasing the demo, Return to Ashes, the band is back for their full-length debut, entitled Subversive By Nature. On this album you'll find a quick dose of politically driven Grind, where out of 20 songs, only 4 surpass the 3 minute mark. In fact, 7 songs last less than a minute. Siege of Hate are here to deliver a hit and run blast of grindcore and Subversive By Nature serves as their outlet.
The album's first highlight is the title track, the second piece. After a short sample at the end of "Say Your Prayers" introduces the song, a grooving riff rolls out and serves as the backbone for the rest of the track. A quick burst of energy to get things going. "The Walls Built Inside Us" is another solid cut, with competent muddy bass work being a focal point. "Nightmares of War" showcases a more blasting, furious side to the band than the last few groove-oriented tracks, firing away with lower growls. "The Chosen Ones" follows the same path, while "Fake" mixes the two styles with some vocals now more closely resembling hardcore. "Obscene Truth" is a 40 second blast that begins with more bass work out in the open, always a welcome trait. The rest of the album continues in much the same way, utilizing these various tendencies. Death metal growls, hardcore yells, groove-based riffs and blasting speed.
An enjoyable, albeit unspectacular release. I would have liked to see the songs developed to a greater extent, similar to what they did with closing track, "U.S.A." The release runs about 30 minutes, which is a good length for an album of this kind, but the mass of sometimes unconcentrated songs makes it seem much longer. Draw out the songs to 3 minutes each and put ten of them down and you've got a solid record. Good, with the potential to be more.
6.5/10
Official Siege of Hate Website
Official Candlelight USA Website
