Hate Eternal - Conquering the Throne 1999 Wicked World Records Possibly one of the most anticipated underground releases this year, Hate Eternal boasts guitarists from two of the greatest extreme bands, Morbid Angel and Suffocation. Erik Rutan may have an impressive resume, having worked with MA and Ripping Corpse, but by no stretch did he choose to rest on his laurels, instead creating possibly one of the most extreme albums ever. It's Rutan's show, he having conceived, created and produced this ball of sonic fury. Seriously, the album just flies into motion, and just when you think it can't get any dealier, it does, kicking into overdrive and laying waste to just everything. Well, Rutan may be the main dude here, but the presence of one Doug Cerrito is also very known. Cerrito is the man, having written almost all of the best Suffocation material, and having these two in the same band is cause for some alarm. The guitar work, even for a layman such as myself, is some of the best I have heard, at times sounding almost like keyboards, which must be due to some kinda dissonant harmony interplay, or something like that. These two guys are among the best, if not THE best guitarists out there, so you know that not only is it going to be fast and furious, there's gonna be depth and control as well. As crazy as the guitar work is, it's all held together by a combination of talent and the insanity that is HE's rhythm section. Remember the first time you heard Altars of Madness? You were impressed, right? Well, it's pretty common to hear some insane drumming now, but I swear, you have to witness Tim Yeung to believe that some of this is possible. Barely in his 20s, Yeung is set to sit among the legends of the genre with this under his belt, just blowing through some of the fastest, most intricate shit you can imagine without even breaking a sweat. Almost too much to absorb in one sitting, Conquering the Throne is a huge accomplishment for the band, and what could have been a superstar side project is thankfully instead what appears to be a band ready to do some serious damage. Highly recommeded and hereby named the deathgrind album of the issue.
8 1/2 out of 10