The rise of technical death metal is just as interesting as it is crazy if you’ve been paying even the least bit of attention to all the wondrous releases that the style has been pumping out over the past decade. From lesser-known creations like Azooma to the titans like Arkaik or Virvum, the style has blossomed into something so magnificent that it begs to be dived into for anyone brave enough. Having been dishing out full-lengths for ten years now, Hateful has been on a slow rise, but it’s now that they’ve become something to know more than ever, and it’s nothing to scoff at.

Whereas many tech-death behemoths like their songs to be ever so slightly on the long side so they can really show off multiple things in one song, Hateful keeps things just barely simpler here with song lengths that rarely going far over four minutes, but with eleven tracks to throw around I feel it’s safe to say that “Set Forever On Me” is absolutely not lacking in material. Much of this unforgiving record has a lot of talent to throw around without ever giving away all of their secrets and it’s even by the end of this album that I wholly believe that Hateful didn’t spill all of their potential secrets here. They’re constantly impressing with high levels of power, talent, and technical prowess that many acts can only ever hope to attain, and it’s all done splendidly as “Set Forever on Me” progresses with true power one foot at a time with no less than utmost precision with every single one of those steps. Whether it’s cascading riffage or a complex array of instrumental ability paired with equally deadly vocals, there isn’t a single part of “Set Forever On Me” that wasn’t done magnificently from the beginning to end, and I can’t help but feel that Hateful knows it too. This is a record that shows off great potential like few others of its kind are able to without much back-up behind it, but Hateful managed to do essentially that with this album in such a way that should not be ignored.

Everything came together beautifully for this album in such a way that I was not expecting whatsoever, and Hateful’s future will, surely, pivot on this release if nothing else. It shows off a grand understanding of the style as well as a great presentation of the talent that’s at play here, and it’s something that must be heard by any fan of technical death metal who’s worth their own salt. The whole of “Set Forever On Me” should absolutely catch the fancy of anyone associated with the style who hears even a few moments of it, but if it doesn’t then the community as undoubtedly failed Hateful one hundred percent.

“Set Forever On Me” releases on September 25th via Transcending Obscurity Records!

LISTEN to advanced tracks from “Set Forever On Me” on Bandcamp here.

LIKE Hateful on Facebook here.