Review HATE “Bellum Regiis”

When it comes to metal from Poland, Hate has always stood in the shadow of mighty Behemoth, and when you listen to the new album “Bellum Regiis”, you wonder why.

Hate has a long tradition in death metal, to which they have added a blackened component step by step. With their thirteenth studio album, Hate have an impressive new album in the starting blocks that is musically rich and aggressive at the same time. Produced by David Castillo, who has worked with bands such as Candlemass, Carcass and Dark Tranquillity, “Bellum Regiis” benefits from an extremely powerful and dense sound. It is a raw death metal gem that we are listening to and at the same time “Bellum Regiis” is a versatile album that comes with little twists that surprise.

It starts with the title track, which is also the album’s opener. The calm and sinister intro of the title track sets the scene while the female vocals of Eliza Sacharczuk are the first little feature that adds to the entertaining factor of the album. ATF Sinner’s growl, on the other hand, is what we are used to, being a trademark of the band. Racing parts and melancholic moments, all woven into the title track, show a band that doesn’t approach an album with compromises in mind.

The lead single of the album is called “Iphigenia”, which shows the wider frame of inspiration. Hate goes back to Greek mythology with lyrics that follow the musical creation of this throbbing metal track. “Bellum Regiis” isn’t a concept album, although the songs do relate to the title in some way. “Bellum Regiis” means “a war of kings” or “a war of royalty”. This comes up again in “Iphigenia”, which again incorporates female vocals to reinforce the theme, but also songs like the blazing “The Vanguard” relate to the title in a way. And so it is with the artwork of the album.

Nice little details also help to make “A Ghost of Lost Delight” a furious death metal anthem with a blackened soul. “Rite of Triglav” is a dramatic interlude that keeps the atmospheric approach of the album alive and is also a nice break before the blistering guitar power of “Perun Rising” heralds the continuation of this hellish metal adventure.

Slower and more groove based is the way “Prophet of Arkhen” bursts out of the speakers before the blackened and furious “Ageless Harp of Devilry” marks the end of “Bellum Regiis”; a hellish way to end the album with growls that also follow a partly melodic approach. In general, we can say that ATF Sinner presents a wider vocal range than in the earlier days. Still rooted in the guttural barks, the frontman expands his vocal range and adds some versatility to it, which benefits the songs and the album.

“Bellum Regiis” is a blistering blast from the abyss. It is an album that blends death metal power with black metal influences, an approach that results in nine devilish metal tracks that are mesmerizing odes to pandemonium.