HATESPHERE EXPLORE MELODIC DEATH METAL MEDIOCRITY ON TO THE NINES
Wednesday, March 4th, 2009 at 12:30pm by Sammy O'Hagar
Somehow sandwiched between twin elders Sweden and Norway and spry youngster Finland, Denmark is certainly the middle child of metal’s Scandinavia. Ever the region’s Jan Brady (“Everyone’s always talking about Marduk! Marduk Marduk Marduk!”), the Danish seem to be getting shafted by Tr00 Norwegian Black Metal, melodic Swedish Death Metal, or Finland’s recent emergence as propagators of expansive post-metal (Cult of Luna and Callisto) and cheesy blackened death metal (Children of Bodom). Hatesphere’s latest, To the Nines, is a struggle to be known, clearly cribbing from Gothenburg but also trying to stand out among the region’s intimidating pack. But alas, while Hatesphere’s geographical cousins are growing up to be doctors, lawyers, and entrepreneurs, the band are content on being the night manager at Copenhagen’s answer to 7-11.
While To the Nines is solid B-minus-grade melodic death metal, it’s not offensively executed. The band even manages to nudge toward inspiring moments: the stuttering jackhammer riff on “Aurora,” the tribal toms-and-chug opening and Swedish death metal breakdown of “Writing’s on the Wall,” the At the Gates-y gallop of the title track all manage to quicken the pulse, albeit briefly. Though the album has a few mildly above average moments, the rest of it is perfectly happy to reside in the limbo so many other bands of that ilk already own acres of land in. The album’s best moments recall primo Darkest Hour, themselves a retread of Sweden’s finest. Although Hatesphere are trying, they’re not trying hard enough.
The album starts and ends with songs that cut out before they really take off – the aforementioned title track and “Oceans of Blood” (which, sadly, doesn’t measure up to Dethklok’s “Blood Ocean”). The latter’s fractured take on epic melodeath is To the Nines most interesting track, and could have been the band’s epic 7 or 8 minute closer. But instead, it closes up shop just before five minutes, not capitalizing on the variance the band were seemingly striving for, a fitting metaphor for To the Nines‘ shortcomings. So, much to Hatesphere’s dismay, the metal community will have to continue to know Denmark for Prince Hamlet, enormous dogs, and Nortt instead of the band’s middling contribution to the already crowded medium of melodic death metal.
(2 ½ out of 5 horns)
-SO
On Denmark: two words for you – Mercyful Fate
THAT’S the band I was forgetting. Well, sheeit. Them too.
Children of Bodom…blackened death metal.
Really?
Nice review, Sammy, but Cult of Luna are actually from Sweden but they have an awesome track on Somewhere Along the Highway called “Finland”. I made the same mistake once, too!
As for decent Danish bands Konkhra and Mercenary come to mind but they’re both a bit inconsistent. My personal theory is that the metal gets better the worse the beer gets. Norway and Sweden? Terrible Beer. Denmark on the other hand has Tuborg, Carlsberg, and yummy Faxe.
uhm… I haven’t heard their new album yet but I heard their last record which was a quite good modern thrash metal album.
Perhaps they changed their musical direction since then, I think they have a new singer too.
And yeah Cult of Luna are from sweden. ^^
It’s funny but I think it’s an undeniable fact that you americans sometimes have problems with the genre categorization of european metal bands.
I’ve heard that Carcass, Dissection or Behemoth play black metal, and now Children of Bodom play blackened Death Metal.
They neither have something to do with the Black Metal nor the Death Metal genre.
It’s just shitty modern metal with thrash and melo-death influences plus faggy keyboards.
@Kye: That’s what I was thinking. I’m not too big of a listener, but I could’ve sworn they’re more often than not classified as power metal.
hey, just because our beer actually has taste doesn’t mean it tastes worse!
no offence to the american beer, i love how you can drink crazy amounts of it;)
This is somewhat difficult to take seriously. Hatesphere have taken a serious dive on this album (new vocalist/direction) but their earlier material is some of the best new death-thrash of the decade.
Listen to albums like Bloodred Hatred or The Sickness Within, which both, despite their painfully cliché names, exhibit more musical grit and energy than a vast number of swedish, norwegian and finnish bands. Both albums are fucking excellent and the band is great live.
I wish people would stop pegging countries they know hardly anything about over individual things like one band taking an unfortnate detour. It’s arrogant, and it’s ignorant. Denmark may not be the most notable “metal” country here in scandinavia but they churn out some seriously high quality stuff from time to time.
It takes alot for me to admit that since I’m Swedish.
Cult Of Luna is from Sweden
this review is packed full of mistakes.
1) Clearly a danish band cannot be “cribbing from Gothenburg”, as Gothenburg is swedish.
2) This isn’t melodic death metal. It’s hardcore/thrash, just like every other album they’ve made.
3) You cannot “crib” from the swedish city of melodic death metal if you’re danish and not melodic death metal.
4) Copenhagen HAS a 7-11, so obviously we won’t need an equivalent of any sort.
I kinda agree with the verdict. They’ve made better than this.