Hatesphere
Murderlust

[colored_box color=”grey”]Rating: 7
Label: Massacre Records
Website: Link
Author: Aggelos “Redneck” Katsouras[/colored_box]

There can be no chance in listening to any Hatesphere album or EP and not bang your head to the furious rhythms the band plays on at most parts. ‘’Murderlust’’ is a thrash album whose biggest achievement is that it doesn’t try to sound old-school (the band never did so far and that’s something you’ve got to give them as a bonus), but it has a very modern, clean and loud production (like on every release of them) that helps them make this album even better to the ears of the listener (unless you are addicted to productions made back in 1984 that have buried true masterpieces of that era). The short title track opens fast the album and before you understand what hit you, the Danes are raging on for the next forty two minutes and make an album that sounds way better that ‘’The Great Bludgeoning’’ or ‘’To The Nines’’ (the previous two releases).

The album consists of mainly three to four minute tracks, the only exception is the six minute ‘’Fear Me’’ which is also one of the most interesting on the album, as it is a little more experimental and is a calm to the overall storm of riffs and beating. Of course, the fans are going to like more tracks such as ‘’Punishable By Death’’, ‘’The Violent Act’’, ‘’Pandora’s Hell’’ or ‘’Iconoclast’’, but it’s up to the listener which tracks he’s going to stick with. Don’t imagine an album that could compete against their early works, but it’s definitely more fresh and interesting compared to their last five year activity. The rhythm section helps a lot the guitars dig the way for the vocalist to scream over them, the band is surely in shape and the album flows easier than its short duration betrays.

If you look at the track listing and see the cover of Muse’s ‘’Assassin’’ track in the end, don’t start freaking out on them, as they did a great cover of this track, bringing it straight to their likes and making it sound like another track of ‘’Bloodlust’’. Listening to an alternative band’s track turning to a thrashy monster is not that bad at all and though most of us have no interest for such genres or bands, Hatesphere added another secret weapon to ‘’Bloodlust’’. The point for each fan is if he has the will and time to get to like this album. It deserves a chance for sure, as there’s more crappy stuff out there (especially in thrash), but on the other hand, if you ask me if it’s the first thing you should listen to in this storm of releases out there, then I’d definitely lead you somewhere else.

‘’Murderlust’’ proves to be a flexible album that can preserve the band to a decent level and help them try to find a steadier approach for their material in the future. This thrashier approach in this album may help them get some fans, on the other hand they must reconquer some of the insanity they had on their earlier albums, where they sounded truly out of control and able to get close to bands like The Haunted back then (when The Haunted were also interesting, not in this uncertain state they are today). ‘’Murderlust’’ is not even close to sound murderous or threatening, but can offer you something good to listen when you’re left out of ideas. If you like thrash metal in all its forms, you’re going to like this album, if you stick more to older material and thrash forms, avoid it as you’ve avoided Hatesphere in general so far.