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Hate Forest have apparently called it a day with their 2005 release "Sorrow", thus ending a short and underground career. Often spoken of in hushed tones by the faithful, Hate Forest were a Ukrainian band who played a deeply pagan variety of Black/War metal.

I like this disc quite a bit, even if it is sort of one-dimensional. Hate Forest play blasting, speedy Black Metal with a more well-rounded production job than bands of this sort usually get. They do include some interludes with more ambient sounds like birds or thunder cracks, but when they crank up the guitars, this band is all about speed. The vocals are a kind of overproduced raspy bellow, and the songs don't have a lot of dynamic. But they have a good snarling guitar tone and they execute their music with real conviction. They aren't as featureless as, say, Black Witchery in their high-speed fury, but the songs do sound quite a bit alike. The bonus cut is obviously from a more evolved band, as it is a slower tune with more melody and variety to it. If this were a 60 minute album it would be too much, but at this length "Scythia" is an enjoyable album.

Additional Information

Originally released in 1999