Hatespawn: Awesome work guys, fucking bravo!

Hatespawn is a German band I got in contact with through the intraweb and after some friendly chatting I got their upcoming release sent to me.  And this release is what is being dissected today. This release in question is a vinyl re-issue of the bands 2007 demo Ascent from the Kingdom Below and their most recent demo  Blasphemous Redeemer, released in 2012 packaged as one vinyl through Sepulchral Voice Records. All in all we are treated to over 40 minutes of dirty American old school death metal.

Even thou there is a strong old school feeling to this release, throughout the riffing, drumming and production I cannot call this band a one trick pony. Cause there are so many influences to be found here, that it always keeps you guessing. Many of the newer old school bands today seams just to be carbon copies of their heroes, but not Hatespawn this is like a buffet of everything good and tasty on the death metal menu. I hear Morbid angel (there is an awesome Domination era riff in the first song, epic!), Belphegor (there is some serious evil sounding melodies and vocals work that makes me think of the Austrian war machine), Cannibal corpse (there are some very Corpsy sounding riffs here and there, some even with a more modern touch),and another band that comes to mind is the criminally underrated American band Acheron. And since the first part of this Lp has a Acheron cover, Prayers of hell, I think my claim is well founded. The second demo has a Morbid Angel cover, namely Hellspawn, featuring fucking Mike Browning!! How cool is that!

So all in all we have a German old school death metal band with an Floridian accent and some Austrian flair in the step. What I really dig with this releases, besides the killer riffs,  is the variety of the songs. The tempos goes up and down like a stripper on a pole, we have the doomy parts, the mid paced and fast parts. This release has something for everyone. I must say when the band doomed it up in the middle of the song Nocturn - The Word That Turns Flesh into Light, I got shivers down my spine. Awesome work guys, fucking bravo!

As I stated before this is a collection of two demos, released five years apart. And you can tell but mainly in the matter of production. The first demo has a bit rawer production, and the second one has a bit slicker production. The second one is obviously no overproduced shit bucket since these guys are decent human beings who know that death metal should be dirty! The guitar sound is a bit dryer on the second demo and all in all the production is as stated before a bit cleaner. But they both have a dirty evil production, and for me this is key. And when I say dirty I do not mean recorded in their granny's bath tub with and boom box placed in the kitchen. It is dirty but in the good kind of way, again like a striper on a pole.  Maybe a bigger difference is that on the second demo we are treated to keyboard intros and interludes, another nod to the mighty Acheron maybe?

If we take a little trip down vocal lane, I would say that there is a strong David Vincent influence, and since David is the king of growl, I would say that that is the highest type of praise. Besides the pure growls we get some high pitched screams and some almost spoke word parts! Really killer performance of Mr. A.Deathmonger.

The instrumentation is pretty spot on, everything is tight and well played. The solos have a real old school fell with some crazy chaotic playing.

So do you like old school death metal  but want something a bit outside the box, and smelling of Florida Oranges. Then Hatespawns demo compilation is surely for you, and yeah it is on fucking vinyl so that is just awesome. And oh yeah the cover is fucking epic aswell!!

Sweden`s Wilhelm Lindh*, "Portuguese by adoption," guitar player,  composer and owner of the Doom / Death Metal band The Gardnerz, reviews here in HeavyHardMetalmania.net. Careful and professional analysis to the music and albums with suggestions of what there is to see and hear ... not to be missed. "The wisdom is found in the extremes, all extreme Metal here!".

Ascent from the Kingdom Below 2007

1.Exterminate the Altar of Lies / Death Cult

2.Abyssic Conquerors  

3.Prayers of Hell (Acheron Cover)

4.Visions - Ascent from the Kingdom Below

5.Alliance of the Unholy Trinity 

6.Sinister Litanies...

Blasphemous Redeemer 2012

1.Anno Armageddon

2.Nocturn - The Word That Turns Flesh into Light

3.Reign ov Serpent, Wolve & Man

4.Blasphemous Redeemer - One World, One Voice, One Will

5.Procession of Sinful Ascension

6.Deus Absconitus

7.Gateways to Forgotten Depths

8.Hellspawn (Morbid Angel cover)

9.Sinister Glorification

hatespawn | sepulchralvoice