ALBUM REVIEW: Adversus – Handful Of Hate
Italy’s HANDFUL OF HATE stand as one of the earliest black metal bands from that nation, and have produced plenty of great albums in their twenty sic year history. After a short hiatus between 2008 and 2009, the band were reinvigorated, becoming far more prolific in their recording, and arguably producing some of their best work over the last decade. Their latest record, Adversus, their seventh full length album, and first recording in six years, is yet another blast of razor sharp, caustic black metal that it is as brilliant as it is abrasive.
Opening number An Eagle Upon My Shield (Veteris Vestigia Flammae) begins with an absolutely monolithic riff, which quickly gives way to a bleak and measured song with razor sharp rhythms, steady percussion and visceral, acerbic vocals. It gains momentum and speed as it progresses, swiftly becoming a far more ferocious and melody driven piece of music. It’s a great track that grabs the listeners attention right away, and eases them into what will end up being a fantastic record. Before Me (The Womb Of Spite) opens with a blisteringly intense riff which marks this song as a far more aggressive and forceful affair. It’s certainly much more fierce and venom soaked that the previous song, and ends up being an early highlight of the record.
Carved In Disharmony (Void And Essence), Severed And Reversed (Feudal Attitude) and Down Lower (Men And Ruins) all follow in much the same vein, providing short sharp shocks or caustic, driven black metal with tight, lean and brilliant lead guitar hooks and feral, acidic vocals providing plenty of great music for the listener to sink their teeth into. Celebrate Consume… Burn! kicks off the second half of the album incredibly well, with fast and furious guitar hooks backed by thunderous drums and caustic, bellicose vocals all contributing to make a song that is arguably the most vicious offering on the whole album. With its breakneck pace, frenzied playing and catchy guitars, it’s certainly one of the better songs on the album as well. Toward The Fallen Ones (Psalms To Discontinuity) sets a dissonant, jarring tone that possesses lots of power and force, and has plenty of intricate melodies which again make for an excellent song, matching the speed and intensity that has marked most of the album up until this point.
Thorns To Redemption (Gemendo Germinat) reduced the pace a little, but still manages to reach some impressive tempos, opting to utilise sharp, discordant and eerie guitar passages in lieu of speed and aggression when necessary, allowing this song to, at points, become extremely epic. Idols To Hung is another steady track built around solid, robust rhythm sections and vile, snarling vocals, which, despite not having the climactic feel that the penultimate song on each album should have, does a great job of setting listeners up for the tenth and final song, Icons With Devoured Faces. This final song is an amazing, mid-paced affair with vast, expansive guitars that inject a grandiose edge to the music, crashing, primal drumming and hellish howls which all contribute to making this song sound so good, closing the album on a very high note.
It’s incredibly hard for many bands to continue creating music with such a consistent high quality after just 10 years together, let alone 26. But HANDFUL OF HATE are one of the rare exceptions to this rule, with Adversus being easily among their best. It has an unmatched intensity from start to finish, and plenty of fantastic guitar hooks, soaring vocals and tight, precise drumming to make it an early contender for black metal album of the year. The music, as a cohesive unit, is so tight, and doesn’t allow for even a second of filler, something that makes this album even more impressive. It’s clear that HANDFUL OF HATE still have many years of creating excellent extreme music ahead of them, and if they continue producing material of this quality, then long may it continue.
Rating: 9/10
Adversus is out now via Aural Music.
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