Hate Squad-Katharsis

Massacre
2011

Germany's Hate Squad started up in the 1990's and sound wise they are still very much stuck in that decade. The positive part of that statement is that their music is straight forward, there's no apologies just plowing forward like they hate everything and they'll let you know. The music is basic, but heavy and aggressive. Obviously they enjoy this style and just crank it up and churn it out. I like this album for a few minutes or so, but it's old really fast. The power of metalcore has a certain appeal, but we've all heard this before from these guys and better acts. Many of the songs bleed together if you take enough of the repetition of a song to listen to the whole thing and last into the next song. There is plenty to be said for being heavy and steady, but lack of any attempt at putting in some variation or different hooks is what kills this album for me. I admire their spirit to a certain extent, but there just isn't enough going on here to keep me interested for the whole album or make me return to it. Those that loved these guys years ago will probably embrace this album too, but fans looking for metalcore with some depth to it will need to look elsewhere.