Album Review: Hath – Of Rot and Ruin (Willowtip)
New Jersey blackened death metallers Hath will release their full-length debut album, Of Rot and Ruin, April 12th 2019 on Willowtip Records. Of Rot and Ruin doesn’t just live up to the promise of superb 2015 debut EP Hive; it more than surpasses it.
HATH released the following statement concerning the giant steps the band took to reach Of Rot and Ruin:
“For the new record, we wanted to take everything we learned with the first EP and build off of it. ‘Hive’ was really a learning experience for us. AJ was in the process of building a proper studio and we were all figuring out the best ways to record and engineer an album. Once AJ’s studio was up and running and with a few album releases under his belt, we felt confident in what we’d written and in his ability to produce a great album. The writing process for Of Rot And Ruin was much more deliberate than Hive. We really wanted to focus on songwriting and give special attention to how the songs and dynamics worked together. We strove for diverse yet cohesive songs. The result is a collection of songs that each have their own identity, yet all have the distinct Hath sound.”
Racing along immediately as if the devil is one step behind, Hath come roaring out with Usurpation. A dominant showcase of their blackened death metal sound albeit one with a slightly tougher and unyielding style. Its ferocity is unwavering and penetrating, power personified and impossible to fathom until you’ve heard it yourself.
Currents is even more focused and just as intoxicating, building on the breath-taking guitar work already shown alongside these segments of soaring clean vocals. You might think those moments would detract from the potency but they don’t. If anything they heighten it.
This doesn’t sound like a debut but rather a seasoned band who have been plying their trade for 10+ years. There is a confidence in Hath, showcased by the near 9 minute death metal epic that is Rituals. The words ‘death’, ‘metal’ and ‘epic’ are rarely good bedfellows but Hath make it sound so simple, it’s a wonder more haven’t been able to master it yet.
However, they also know when to just let loose as To Alone is a couple of minutes of high aggression designed to a open up a pit of maniacs. This is Hath at their most simple and it’s still leaps ahead of many others. The rapid fire drumming alone will make stomachs clench.
The slower intro to Withered gives time for a breather but it’s short lived as the track opens up for their trademark fury. Quickly followed by Worlds Within, another epic with an impressive switch between ferocity and mellowness, the latter style bleeding into Kindling. A short and soft guitar strumming tune. Certainly one of the more pointless moments but fear not, it’s just a precursor to the double header finale of the exceedingly well built Accursed and the raging fire of Progeny.
Hath – Of Rot and Ruin Full Track Listing:
1. Usurpation
2. Currents
3. Rituals
4. To Alone
5. Withered
6. Worlds Within
7. Kindling
8. Accursed
9. Progeny
Head over to Bandcamp to order the album now and find out more about Hath via their Facebook Page and Instagram.
Hath - Of Rot and Ruin (Willowtip)
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The Final Score - 8/10
8/10