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Something unusual here from American bruisers Harkonin, with their fourth arrangement of brutality aptly titled Detest. Not the usual Black Metal madness with this one, but rather a hardcore-sounding beast that slogs its guts somewhere between Absu and Benediction, with a few horn-throws towards Entombed and Amon Amarth. It spreads its black wings over ten tracks that on the one hand relate well to a genre full of Black-tinged Death clones, but also offers something more unique, with off-kilter time signatures in opener "Into Oblivion" and riff patterns that are oddly rhythmic during "Insurrection".

The vocals are an expected low growl, with a couple of higher wails dripped over the top, and the production manages to make this sound modern but somewhat archaic, though in general this is a brutal and flesh-whipping display that straddles the Death, Black, and Thrash genres without having the ability to amaze. More focused songwriting is the key to make these semi-veterans put their mist-drenched name on the map.