Damn these guys are brutal...
Erik Rutan, along with Hypocrisy/Pain mastermind Peter Tagtgren, has long been one of the busiest guys in extreme metal. Not only is he a former member of Morbid Angel and current leader of death metal tyrants Hate Eternal, but he's also an in-demand producer/engineer and has worked with some of the best bands in the industry. Phoenix Amongst the Ashes is the latest platter of technical brutality from these guys, and it's every bit as lethal as their previous releases.
Massive guitar thunder, and I mean massive, often times technically blinding riffs & solos, coupled with the relentless drum assault from Jade Simonetto and Rutan's brutal death metal growls, make for an impressive if not exhausting listen. Rutan's guitar work is off the charts here, so precise yet so brutal at the same time, as tunes such as "Haunting Abound" and "Thorns of Acacia" just batter you senseless from start to finish. "The Art of Redemption" simply overwhelms with technical guitar & drum passages, showing an energized Hate Eternal that doesn't want to give anything up to the Obscura's, Spawn of Possession's, and Decrepit Birth's of the world in terms of technical death metal. You can even hear some black metal influence on the title track, complete with pummeling blast beats and Rutan's frenzied tremelo picked riffs, but then the band returns to pulverizing death metal on the crushing " Deathveil" and the raging "Lake Ablaze", two of the definite highlights among a CD of extreme metal gems.
Either Erik Rutan has raised the bar or he's really pissed off at someone. Phoenix Amongst the Ashes is kick ass, brutal & technical death metal of the highest order. The production is killer (one of the best sounding death metal CDs I've heard this year), with each song just massive and monstrous. To be honest, this is what Rutan's former employers in Morbid Angel SHOULD have come up with this year on their comeback, but instead Hate Eternal have stolen all their thunder and completely laid them to waste. Highly recommended!
Track Listing
01. Rebirth
02. The Eternal Ruler
03. Thorns of Acacia
04. Haunting Abound
05. The Art of Redemption
06. Phoenix Amongst the Ashes
07. Deathveil
08. Hatesworn
09. Lake Ablaze
10. The Fire of Resurrection
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