Abyssic Hate
A Decade Of Hate

THE REVIEW

I return to reviewing a work that can undoubtedly be placed in the more or less new wave of Depressive Black Metal, in my opinion one of the most interesting of extreme metal, as well as one of the most deceptive and deceitful: Black, in general, is a subgenre that gives a lot of importance to form, to the way the band presents itself to the public, to the mysterious rumors about the members et cetera et cetera, much more than Death does (except for sporadic cases, the main hobby of musicians in this second genre is drinking beer).

In short, although many Black artists reveal a perhaps finer and less primitive mind than their colleagues devoted to the “metal of death,” they often end up losing credibility (at least this is my opinion) and revolving around the same clichés that undermine the honesty of their works.

Even this sub-subgenre is no exception and counts among its ranks truly criticable individuals; started by that controversial figure known as Burzum, it then fell into the hands of questionable individuals (more than poor Vikernes) who undertake pro-suicide campaigns (something I find absolutely shameful) solely for the purpose of selling more copies.

Abyssic Hate is precisely another one-man band coming from the land of kangaroos which, despite having produced works of indisputable artistic and emotional value, has aspects that can be described as at least “annoying”; in fact, the misanthropic, depressive, funeral pro-mass suicide legalization father of the Abyssic Hate project amuses himself in his spare time with Blood Duster, a formation dedicated to a Grind Rock with idiotic Porno themes that has absolutely nothing “Depressive.”
Having broad musical horizons is fine, but lying so blatantly to the public seems excessive to me, especially considering the danger of the message his lyrics instill. My moralizing is over, I can now join the Salvation Army… and review this long-awaited CD.

As can be inferred from the title, it is a collection of the most famous tracks (actually almost all) of this guy's musical career: I chose to review this work not because it's the latest release, but because it seemed pointless to review the old works, composed of about five songs recorded with an utterly horrid mix. The tracks in the aforementioned collection, however, are expertly remastered, although, to be honest, this makes them lose a bit of that raw and sparse air that made past works so sharp. It must be said that, for almost the entire duration of the disc, one listens to songs with a sound reminiscent of the old-school Black of Dark Throne and the earliest Mayhem: this is the case with songs like “Cleansing Of An Ancient Race” and others from the eponymous EP and many more. Needless to say, these are a real treat for fans of the genre, while to my ears they sound quite boring and repetitive, even though I do not deny their artistic value. However, just one song, “Betrayed,” from the 2000 album “Suicidal Emotions,” is enough to change the judgment of this album; the song, without neglecting the limitations I spoke of at the beginning, remains a pearl of expressiveness and despair capable of exacerbating every bad thought and enhancing all the negative emotions of a person. Lucidly resigned, it communicates such an absence of hope, regret for the past, and distrust of the future, that it changes, over its eleven minutes, the consideration one has of men and the world. Anyone, regardless of whether they like self-flagellation or not, I believe should bow their head in front of the immense suggestiveness that flows from those notes. Alongside very inspired riffing, both in the more melancholic moments and in the sonic assaults, one hears excellent screaming that follows the “burzumian” tradition without, however, reaching such a strain on the vocal cords. The programming of the electronic drums is also good, even though the boundaries it sets are quite narrow.

In short, both musically and emotionally, “A Decade Of Hate” turns out to be a very effective album: its great merit is to bring together in a single medium the material of countless Demos and EPs, allowing one to get an idea of Abyssic Hate's musical evolution as well as to have in hand pieces otherwise unobtainable. A great flaw (at least in my opinion), however, is the overwhelming preference given to the early and more markedly Raw Black pieces (perhaps, as I said before, because they are unobtainable or perhaps because of their shorter duration) compared to the songs from the aforementioned 2000 work, which are infinitely more communicative and unsettling. The result is a good album with an excellent song, affordable for all pockets but not for all ears.