The Hate Project – Blessed with Malevolence (EP)
Release Date: 7th July 2023
Label: Seek & Strike
Stream
Bandcamp
Genre: Deathcore
FFO: To The Grave, Wretched Tongues, Bonecarver.
Review By: Ross Bowie
Deathcore Swede’s The Hate Project are back with their follow up to 2021’s Seize The Obscurity, with a new EP delivering all the fury and brutality fans have been waiting for.
The EP opens with an intro track which I’d normally expect to be atmospheric and full of ambience before the rest of the tracks take off. However, this wastes no time by immediately opening with a breakdown and a tremolo guitar riff that your favourite black metal bands would hit out with.
Blessed With Malevolence is packed full of raw pace, every track roars out the speakers at breakneck speed with the drums turning in an MVP performance. While the speed of these songs is relentless, the band are more than capable of changing things into a groove at the drop of a penny. The title track grooves along while diving between rampant riffs and downright filthy breakdowns. A simple trick of bringing the breakdown over the main riff has been done countless times before, but when it sounds this good, who cares? The song deals with the band’s struggle with addiction and sounds like people working through their inner demons and leaving it all out for anyone to see.
After the rise of Lorna Shore in recent years, a lot of deathcore bands have turned to the trend of trying to make their vocals as brutal and disgusting as possible. While it’s a fun trend and has delivered some stellar songs in the genre, I was pleased to hear a band stick to a vocal style that serves the songs. The vocals aren’t full of range, but they keep driving the songs forward and add to the tension the rest of the band create. They also aren’t afraid to go low when those breakdowns start to hit.
Deathcore isn’t exactly known for its variation, and The Hate Project are no different, but the band deliver a great level of consistency across the five tracks. Needle Frantic offers a change of direction, with the band leaning into a more tech focused sound. The use of clean guitars offers a new direction and leave room for the band to explore going forward, while offering the EP’s best breakdown.
The Hate Project have delivered a furious yet fun collection of songs here, and have teased directions in which they can continue to grow their sound. Their scene has had a massive upturn in the last couple of years and the band are staking their claim to be sat at the table.
(4 / 5)
