Customer Reviews

Conquering the Throne

5 star:		(27)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

"Conquering the Throne" is the stunning debut from death metal supergroup Hate Eternal, which features Eric Rutan of Morbid Angel and Doug Cerrito, of the now disbanded Suffocation. Apparently Rutan's relegation to a merely touring member of Morbid Angel left him with plenty of time and inspiration for the creation of the absolutely cutting-edge material which makes up this release. Eric penned or co-wrote over half of Morbid Angel's, "Domination" and his style for that unit is very much in evidence on "Conquering..." Jaw-dropping technical, brutal death metal is the order of the day on tracks like, "Catacombs," "By His Own Decree," and "Dethroned." Newcomer Tim Yeung displays a technical prowess on the drums seen only in veterans such Pete Sandoval and "Doc" from Vader. Blast beats galore anchor Rutan and Cerritos' psychotic, serrated riffing. Rutan makes an excellent debut as vocalist as well, with a style somewhere between former bandmate Dave Vincent and Glen Benton of Deicide. Warning! Anyone seeking tunes featuring saner or more diverse tempos like those on "Where the Slime Live" or "Hatework" from "Domination" should look elsewhere. Hate Eternal have taken up the challenge issued by pals Angelcorpse, "Mirror, mirror on the wall... Who's the fastest one of all?" Fans of the latest releases by Cryptopsy, Angelcorpse and Carolinian gods, Nile, will roll around in ecstasy as they are devastated by the speed and brutality featured on this outstanding debut recording.

Yep -- I was definately not dissapointed here. C'mon, the two guitarists are Eric Rutan (Morbid Angel) and Doug Cerrito (Suffocation). How can't you dig this stuff, its an all-star cast. Eric rutan has a good low death metal scream that sounds really good throughout the whole album. Jared Anderson (the bassist of the band) has some cool high-pitched black-metal-ish back up vocals. The riffing on this record is EXTREMELY technical and fast. The riffs go by really fast, so that 90% of the songs are over in two minutes. Thats the only downside to this wonderful CD. Outstanding percussion courtesy of Tim Yeung and solos (obviously, we're dealing with two of death metals most influential bands!). Anyone into extreme brutal metal (ie, Morbid Angel, Suffocation, Cannibal Corpse, Cryptopsy...) BUY THIS ALBUM!!! YOU WILL NOT BE DISSAPOINTED!!!

Dear slipknot fan, and every other poser who thinks that music doesn't get any heavier than slipknot, limp bizkit, and korn,
None of us true metal fans want to hear your dumb@ss opinion. You dont see any of us writing reviews for your lousy music do you? Why dont you just keep listening to kroq, put on your sisters jeans, wear your cute little extra small t-shirt, comb your bangs in your ugly face, and do your little "hardcore dances". Leave this peticular music to the real fans of talent induced metal. Oh yeah, and we should run from you little nu metal queens, shall we? If your ever in the Orange County, California area, go ahead and look me up, I'll straighten you out. I speak for all the true metal heads when I say, "Put on your little slipknot clown mask and go play on the freeway". Cheers

DEAR SLIPNOT FAN,
DEATH METAL HAS BEEN AROUND BEFORE SLIPNOT'S MOTHERS SPAT THEM FROM THEIR INNERTS, SO DO YOUR HOMEWORK, AND YOU WILL FIND THAT YOU ARE A NU-METAL HOMO WHO CANNOT OBSERVE AND UNDERSTAND TRUE TALENT.I HOPE YOU HAVE A MISERABLE DEATH. THE ALBUM IS A GOOD ADDITION TO ANY DM FANS' COLLECTION. IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR WELL PRODUCED, TECHNICAL DEATH, CHECK OUT DECAPITATED, ORIGIN, VITAL REMAINS, CEPHALIC CARNAGE.

i am a death metal fan (cryptopsy, pessimist, gorguts). i love the technical stuff and can appreciate a good grind. this album however, is not up to par. the songs themselves are all the same tempo, the riffs are all very similar with the same construction; there are no tempo changes (but one motion change i think), no expression, no sort of dynamic, no direction changing, nothing. the solos are surprisingly weak and expressionless as well; is this the same guy who trades solos with azagthoth of morbid angel? can't he do better than this? the solos don't even pretend to change the song or augment a section, theyre just there. very poor musical awareness overall. the entire album is static (the same throughout). its like the same piece over and over, and its not a very good one. on the up side, the drummer is excellent and everything is executed well. but it is the medium that is at fault here. i imagine the next one will be better.

Wow. What an amazing concept. Erik Rutan (Morbid Angel) fronting a band with Doug Cerrito (Suffocation). I gotta say, this is one of the finest Death Metal albums I own. Moreover, I'm not exactly sure why. While not being very diverse for the genre, this album just has that intangible something that inspires awe. Despite the fact that they throw the listener about 3000 riffs per second, it is expertly crafted and intensely melodic. Songwriting , while using the tried and true themes of hell, armageddon and pain, is among the most distinctive in the genre. Upon a closer inspection one discovers fierce diatribes declaring self reliance, calling upon the gods for change and vehement anti-christian sentiment. As for the percussive aspect, Tim Yeung displays a technical proficiency unimaginable for a newcomer. Despite the drums sounding a bit clicky, the production is stellar, eviscerating the listener on all fronts. Rutan's growling is also worthy of praise, sounding rather like a younger MORE imposing Glen Benton but avoiding the cheese factor masterfully. Bassist Jared Anrerson also contributes some imposing higher screaming which creates an interesting sense of contrast. As for the soloing, I really need not describe their brilliance and flair of Rutan and Cerrito. Just listen and make your own conclusions. An excellent album that kills from beginning to end, worthy of any metalhead's collection. I also love how the first and last tracks start and end with the sounds of nuclear blasts. Classic.

I'm really not sure what to make of this album. You put on the first track, Praise Of The Almighty, and you thank yourself for buying the album. Raging guitars, smashing drums and gutteral vocals just assault you. By the fifth track though, the sound becomes a bit repetitive. And that is what stops this album from getting 4 stars. Pick any of the tracks and you'll like them. But listen to it in its entirety and you may as well be listening to one whole song. And yes, it does indeed get boring.

Technically, the musicians are certainly good. I was attracted to this because of the Morbid Angel reference, but I only own one MA album (Blessed Are The Sick) and it doesn't feature any of these musicians. The drumming is cool and the rythm guitars are pretty good, but the solos? Not that amazing. Listen to Angel Corpse solos, early Morbid Angel (Azagthoth/Brunelle) or to a lesser extent Nile solos and you'll be more impressed. Many of these are little melodies without much to them. I like Erik's vocals though. I'm pretty open about death metal vocals, but I certainly prefer rasping to gurgly grunting. The lyrics are pretty cool was well. It almost has an unintentional evil feel that I like. I don't know if anybody else feels it (maybe its just the front cover) but I do get this wierd feeling when I hear the album.

Altogether this is not a bad album. Its not as chaotic as I was hoping, but its still brutal and I like the feel. In all fairness, I do play random tracks from it now and then because it doesn't have any particularly bad songs. Ultimately though, a lack of adventure or variation leaves me thinking about what it could have been, rather than what it is.

This album begins and ends with a nuclear explosion sound effect - quite fitting for an album that pummels the listener with tales of destruction and rage, many of them with a dark-ages feel in the lyrics (Dethroned, Catacombs), etc. There is no room for a listener to relax in here - the closest you will come are a few melodic solos that add an ancient, uncaring touch to their respective songs. Specifically what most impressed me the most about this album was the unbelievable amount of technical ability displayed by these veterans. Rutan's vocals bring to mind a wounded barbarian with a mind obsessed only upon vengeance. Bassist Jared Anderson also occasionally provides high-pitched snarls to compliment, and you're in for a real treat when the two sing in tandem. Rutan and Doug Cerrito provide a guitar backdrop intricately written and mind-numbingly fast which is only outshined by the drumming of Tim Yeung. He uses every last inch of the kit and especially the double bass pedal, creating a war beat that fittingly lacks any attempt at groove - in favor of unrelenting power. And that's just what this album is - an assault on the death metal album throne; an attempt to raise all standards of brutality in the genre and up the expectations for all death albums to follow. (My personal favorite cuts: #1, 4, and 9)

Intense, fast to the point of almost incomprehensible, this band is taking extreme music to the highest level of craftsmanship. No longer a form where guitars sound trebly and lacking in body. Precise playing is of the utmost importance. Conquering the Throne is the essence of the new breed of deathmetal. Excellent playing merged with excellent production.

It's a good thing that Slippy down there is anonymous and lives in Canada. Down in So. Cal. we're all sick of KROQ and that limp emo metal pap. Stay up there in BC, redneck, I'd beat that a$$, too, given a chance. Cuídate, cabroncito.

Love, Mom