Hate Eternal

Usually when musicians say they put a lot of emotion into an album after a band-mate dies, the result is something respectful, thoughtful and beautiful. When Erik Rutan pays tribute to a fallen comrade, the result is total fucking Armageddon. Rutan’s former Hate Eternal compatriot Jared Anderson passed away suddenly in his sleep in October of 2006, and Fury & Flames is the death metal icon’s tribute to his fallen bassist. From front to back, Rutan does what he’s always done: deliver track after track of sheer brutality and death metal of the highest quality. To achieve such power, Rutan has surrounded himself with a strong supporting cast. Stepping in to man the bass is Cannibal Corpse’s Alex Webster, whose decades of death metal experience not only bring up the low-end of the mix but also give slight touches of recent quality Corpse tracks. Although legendary drummer Derek Roddy no longer sits behind the skins, the absolute fury unleashed by his replacement (Jade Simonetto) is more than worthy of mention, as the mix of ferocity and accuracy serve as a great counterbalance (see "Thus Salvation”). As for Rutan, he delivers an absolutely vicious vocal performance, snarling deliciously comprehensible passages intertwined with guttural backing choruses for a combination of demonic perfection. When it all comes together, it’s like an enormous, epic death metal monster that surely ranks amongst the elite death metal releases of the year.