OF ROT AND RUIN

"Of Rot And Ruin" is the debut full-length studio album by US, New Jersy based death metal act Hath. The album was released through Willowtip Records in April 2019. It´s the successor to the "Hive" EP from 2015 and since the release of the EP Peter Brown has been added as a second guitarist, making Hath a quartet on "Of Rot And Ruin". Drummer AJ Viana is again responsible for producing (which was also the case on "Hive").

Stylistically Hath are one of those death metal acts, which combine many different death metal subgenre elements and also elements from black and even post-metal, and they are therefore very difficult to describe correctly...but it´s arguably technically well played and progressive death metal. Compared to the material on "Hive" I think the pace has generally been increased, although the tracks still feature both heavy mid-paced parts and even doomy parts (and some atmospheric acoustic parts). The Opeth influence which was audible on "Hive" isn´t really heard on "Of Rot And Ruin". The dominant vocal styles are growling and raw distorted shouting (often doubled), but there are some more melodic inclined vocal parts on the album too, which remind me of some of the shouting semi-melodic vocal parts on Gojira´s albums. It´s safe to say that Hath have branched out since "Hive". This is incredibly sophisticated and cleverly composed progressive death metal.

Hath are skilled musicians too, and everything is delivered with great technical skill and conviction. The guitar riffs and lead work are intricate and complex and the drumming is technical (yet organic) and varied, pushing the music forward in a great energetic style. The sound production is clear, professional, and powerful. The sound perfectly suits the material and enhances the listening experience. Upon conclusion this is a very impressive debut album by Hath, and it´s far beyond being labelled promising, which is the label many debut albums get. This is so accomplished and intriguing that a 4 star (80%) rating is fully deserved.

(Originally posted on Metal Music Archives)