Maximum Metal Rating Legend

Hatesphere - The Killing EP - 2005 - SPV

Track Listing1. Murderous Intent 2. You're The Enemy 3. The Will Of God 4. Trip At The Brain

Wow, where did these guys come from? As your favorite metal journalist of all time, I find it alarming that my knowledge of metal isn't as deep as it once was. I have strayed from the more aggressive sounds of today's world, the violent nature of it all has just sickened me. But sometimes you just stumble on those bands that you would normally just pass by. With the gift, and that is really what it is, simply a gift from the Gods, I now have the ability to hear so many more albums, so many more bands that I would normally just dismiss. Obviously for years I've missed out on this bombastic band from Denmark, Hatepshere simply violating just about everyone in their quest to capture the most ruthless, sadistic, and downright brutal metal championship of the world. With their latest entry, "The Killing EP", they may have won the bout, going head to head with the likes of Arch Enemy, The Haunted, and even the mighty Slayer in a no-holds-barred slugfest of epic proportions. Raising their hands in victory, Hatesphere can now set their sights on a more global domination, really stepping out of their known kingdom and raising fists for a whole new audience. This is where it starts for me, and possibly for the band, now being recognized as a heavyweight contender in the high octane competition known as modern thrash.

I've always enjoyed the sounds of Konkhra, Gorefest, Pantera, and Overdose, those down and dirty blue collars that just refuse to sit still, always looking for that perfect neck snapper that rivals the bay area thrash days. Hatesphere have found it here, but really that is where the mystery starts for me. Looking at their back catalogue is just simply disappointing. So many years and albums wasted for me personally because I never took the time to look into them. The band has been around since 2000, releasing three full length albums before this year's short but deadly "The Killing EP". While so many bands are hell-bent on capturing that Slayer meets In Flames sound, Hatesphere have really just journeyed forward, constantly pushing the envelope of modern, aggressive thrash. At times Hatesphere could be compared to the likes of today's The Haunted and Kreator, but while those bands seem to be geared towards a more stripped down mall-core sound, these garage warriors just keep it slightly more simple, keeping all of the energy and focus straight forward into sonic annihilation.

Peter Lyse Hansen and Henrik Jacobsen combine on some red hot riffage here, laying down a proverbial wall of sound behind vocalist Jacob Bredahl, who displays his might and muscle through the most horrific of hardcore rumblings. With cuts like "Murderous Intent" and "You're The Enemy", visions of Konkra and Gorefest come to mind. The band just lays down some ultra heavy iron, at times just sounding completely over the top before moving into a more groove based rhythm within each cut. "The Will Of God" follows in much the same way, keeping that 80s bay area grip to their sound but moving into today's aggressive nature of the business. Last cut here, "Trip At The Brain", is just total thrash worship, bringing to mind the likes of Tankard or even Whiplash.

These four songs are just extraordinary, really going beyond the MTV scene and going back to the classic days of Testament, Forbidden, and even Metallica, only with a 2005 production job, leaving the listener with one of the most brutal and blistering assaults of recent memory. With Tommy and Jacob Hansen on board the controls, "The Killing EP" comes out fresh as a daisy, one of those rare recordings that just smokes, easily one of the finest sounds I've heard from this particular genre.


--EC 06.03.05