The ever-growing list of noteworthy up-and-coming acts that everyone needs to hear at least a little bit of is one that is all but effortless to lose yourself in. Whether it’s a newer name or one that has been around for decades, there’s never a shortage of names out there that have more than a couple of reasons to be known throughout the vast scene. When they released their debut album to wide acclaim three years ago, Hath immediately earned their place on that mammoth list. Yet, there’s always a hint of doubt when it comes to bands like this, isn’t there? Will the band in question be more than a one-release wonder, or will they falter and not live up to whatever amount of hype there is? In the case of Hath, I defy anyone to look down on this release and find themselves displeased in any form.

There is a real temptation for me to compare the very essence of Hath’s first album, “Of Rot and Ruin”, to their newest, “All That Was Promised”, given how wondrous the former was and still is, but to do so would be to simply diminish the very power of this sophomore effort for all that it lives up to and, fittingly, all that was promised. The name of the game here throughout these nine tracks of devastation that come in many different forms of viciousness, energy, and ethereal intoxication, yet it’s never once that we’re able to find Hath repeat themselves on this record. Even the very choruses, when they do occur, from one track to the next feels different than the one that occurred not two minutes before with every song having its own certifiable identity that can be effortlessly defined by a ripping solo, monolithic riff, or an acoustic passage that makes for an entirely different texture with all of that and more coming together to elevate “All That Was Promised” as a wildly dynamic creation that always keeps the listener guessing at every given moment. An extremely organic record that more than delivers on any expectations that it may have for anyone dying to hear more from Hath, it is single-handedly this record that should propel Hath into the annals of one of the most gripping up-and-coming acts that we’ve been blessed with in recent years for quality is the true motto of Hath with unparalleled devastation all but a glorious by-product.

It can really feel like excellence of this variety is coming around more and more often as each individual section of the underground becomes far more varied and refined, but I cannot stress enough just how much of a rarity Hath is with two back-to-back wonders that are outright defining for the kind of excellence we’re dealing with here. There isn’t a single facet of what was put into “All That Was Promised” that should leave any of us wanting more with Hath’s performance all but voraciously entertaining and the future all but theirs to seize.

“All That Was Promised” releases on March 4th via Willowtip Records!

LISTEN to advanced tracks from “All That Was Promised” on Bandcamp here.

LIKE Hath on Facebook here.