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It took me a couple of listens before really getting into this one, but Hate Machine turned out to be a pretty cool slab of U.S. heavy/power metal in the vein of Cage and Iced Earth mixed with a hint of European power metal. There are also a couple of strong Judas Priest vibes here and there as well, sometimes right out of the Painkiller book. The vocals by Norman Skinner (of Imagika fame, among others) are powerful and melodic and just beg for you to sing along.

The album sometimes sounds a little disjointed as the band throw in their influence left and right without apology. That takes a little getting used to, but with no filler, after a while you forget about it and just enjoy the moment. It's not perfect and not overly original, but it's well executed and their mix of melodic and faster, heavy and razor-sharp numbers keeps things interesting all the way through.