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Rating: Ok, the name isn't exactly original (I believe there are about five other bands with the same name), ok, the title is original (at least "rex noctis"...well); and I'll also grant you the cover, definitely within the genre's standards: a Nordic forest in black and white, an unreadable logo, and at the bottom, the album's name, also illegible.
But to be honest, they've done one original thing, and it's very pleasant, the writings seem chrome! I spend hours and hours looking at the reflections...
Anyway, this second release by the Ukrainian band consists of two works: "Ceremoniya Vremen" from track 1 to 6; "Rex Noctis" from track 7 to 10, and indeed you can hear some differences. The first has rougher and colder sounds, while apparently in the second they discovered the bass potentiometers on the mixer and everything settles on slower tempos (which are not absent in the first part of the CD either) and songs that do not go below 7 minutes (and well, "Rex Noctis" consists of two songs, intro and outro).
It starts with thunder and lightning trapped inside a tuna can, but after a few seconds the black devastation begins: Yrt Glormkhaoth (I swear that's his name, and in the band he does everything but sing) shoots tons of rawness at us, with some keyboard notes that do not diminish the album's aggressiveness. Also because it's worth mentioning that Xul's voice is comparable to sulfuric acid, or a kick to the groin, your choice: it hurts, a lot. Sure, the riffs are a bit repetitive, but genre lovers won't be disappointed. Overall, there's not much else to say, the album continues down this path between lethal fury and equally lethal slowdowns.
Well then, with sweat (a lot, considering it's 30 degrees in the house), I make it to the beginning of the second work, introduced by a minute and a half of ultra-simplified Goblin-like organ and choirs. After this pointless intro, "Rex Noctis...Ego Sum Tenebris" starts: the previously mentioned change in sound also affects the voice, which becomes deeper and less "raspy", but fits the slower pieces perfectly. "Bog Nizverzhen!", the ninth track, seems like a tribute to Burzum's "Filosofem". Obsessive, slow, endlessly long, cold, nasty, and angry like only my aunt's dog can be (and trust me, it is... damn Yorkshire) I believe it could ruin more than a few lives. The last minute of recording I believe is the noise of the singer's shower pipes, but I'm not sure...
In short, "More Hate Prod." has given us a black metal album that is ultimately well made and varied, well played and heartfelt, and I think it could appeal to many (obviously, it's a product aimed at genre enthusiasts...).
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