A band doing something as simple as trying something remotely new can be enough to make their music far more interesting no matter how long they’ve been going at it for whether it be for decades or just a few years. Hate has been one of the world’s more well-known death metal acts to devastate our ears, but it’s only with their last record that they brought in a couple of outside elements to make their material more interesting. Following exactly where they left off, Hate returns to make this record even more of a beast that fits very well with their catalog but is an entity all its own.

It can be really divisive for some bands to try really anything new of any kind because people are picky bastards and there will always be just as much people who love the new direction as many as those who hate it, but I’ve always come to respect when a band wants to shift things even if it’s a little. Change can be good, and it’s in the case of Hate’s latest effort that I find myself being quite thankful for this breath of fresh air that brings us all the classy, hard-hitting death metal that the band has long been known for but with the tiniest hint of black metal thrown into the mix. The influence throughout “Auric Gates of Veles” is the sort of thing you really have to actively seek out in order to hear it which goes to show just how well Hate integrated it into their sound as they don’t lose a single ounce of their heaviness or any of their classic allures as this record simply chugs out one venomous track after another. Whether it be in the form of a voracious riff that devastates all in its path or magnificent epics that bring together some of the heaviest explorations into Slavic lore the genre has seen for a little while, “Auric Gates of Veles” builds upon everything its predecessor did stylistically only to enhance it ten-fold in order to show us that Hate is far from calling it a quits in any capacity nor are they any closer to losing any power in their renowned punches.

It’s so often that we see many larger bands trying something different with their sound whether it be making it the slightest bit more accessible or making their sound all the more hostile, and it’s a real shame to see such great approaches swatted away just from being different. I truly hope Hate does not become part of that trend as there isn’t a single thing I’d change about “Auric Gates of Veles” in all of its glory and it’s a record that I will definitely find myself pouring many more hours into upon release.

“Auric Gates of Veles” releases on June 14th via Metal Blade Records!

LISTEN to advanced tracks from “Auric Gates of Veles” on Bandcamp here.

LIKE Hate on Facebook here.

FOLLOW Hate on Twitter: @HATEBand