ALBUM REVIEW: All That Was Promised – Hath

History has always dictated that the sophomore full-length may well be the hardest mountain to climb for any band. That fact is even more indisputable when the debut received the kind of plaudits that the blackened death metallers HATH received with 2019’s Of Rot And Ruin. Now, three years removed from their debut, the band stand on the cusp of releasing their second album All That Was Promised, and are set to raise the bar even higher this time around.

By this point we know exactly what HATH are capable of, and on The Million Violations they waste little time in putting it on show for the world to see. A haunting, clean opening gives way to a wall of heavily distorted guitars and punishing drums, with atmospheric leads that add layers of texture to proceedings. That is very much the theme of the album, it ebbs and flows and shocks and awes throughout, switching seamlessly between sheer power and some kind of evil take on the serene.

One of the lead singles in the weeks prior to the album’s release was Kenosis and there is absolutely no question as to why. This song has all the hallmarks of what HATH have grown into as an extreme metal outfit. It takes a special kind of band to deliver such raw savagery. Utilising blasts beats and demonic guttural vocals over the top of the frantic riffs and then throwing in a melodic hook without diluting the nastiness in any way, this is the song that will no doubt be a staple of the HATH’s setlists for the foreseeable future.

This is not an album for the faint of heart, and songs such as Decollation are a perfect testament to that fact. This one sees the band leaning into their blackened roots and using them to bludgeon the listener about the head with a concoction of blasts and ferocious tremolo riffing. It’s where the band really find their sweet spot, with Death Complex quickly following with the same level of intensity, only this time with an extra dash of melodic sensibility thrown in through the lead guitars added to take things to that next level.

In the latter stages of the album the band up the ante with the inclusion of a beautifully crafted acoustic introduction on the song Casting Of The Self. Here, the band use both guitars to create a haunting melody before the wall of guitars kick in and drive the track onward. Without labouring the point too much, it shows just how capable the boys are of creating grandiose moments of melodic metal before swiftly returning to their devastating roots for the remainder of the song. The last minute of the track features a surprising inclusion of a DIMMU BORGIR-esque clean vocal section which would not have been out of place on any of their outings with former bassist/vocalist ICS Vortex.

Of Rot And Ruin proved that HATH are a band that are more the capable of throwing their hat in the ring with the big boys of the scene. However, with this stupendous sophomore effort it seems that they are more than that. It looks as though they may well be ready to take the lead of the blackened death metal crowd and drag them kicking and screaming behind them as they continue to push their respective boundaries outwards. HATH are a band with seemingly endless amounts of potential and if they keep this momentum up going forward then the sky truly is the limit.

Rating: 9/10

All That Was Promised is set for release on March 4th via Willowtip Records.

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