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German thrashers Hateful Agony started out in 1997 with the band's debut outing, Existence is Punishment, seeing the light of day in 2000. Since then Hateful Agony have released four more albums, off which 2012's Forward into Doom is the most recent.

Musically, this German trio trusts in the power of straightforward, raw Thrash Metal, à la early Whiplash, Nuclear Assault, Voivod and Slayer with a nice Crossover vibe incorporated into the sound, which always gets extra credit in my book. Hateful Agony try their best to do everything the old-school way, keeping the song structures simple but, most importantly, darn catchy at the same time. They are a relentless Thrash bunch indeed and should entertain a lot of Thrash fans out there, this group in question including me.

The sound is far from perfect (the drums are actually kind of weak) but what they lack in the production department, they make up for by churning out the fierce and intense Thrash that most of us love. Hateful Agony may never become the next Kreator or Destruction but, then again, why should they? As long as they can keep pumping out some vicious, face-melting Thrash, I am sure people will appreciate that. Forward into Doom should not be overlooked. Give it a chance and it will surely give something back.