From Rovaniemi, Northern Finland, hail Hate World Hero. They do not go with expected formula for bands who come from that area: Melancholy, gloominess and coldness. No, they have their characteristic heavy/power metal to offer.

Previously they have released an EP (2016) and a couple of singles in 2019. They've had the same style since the debut EP, but they've sharpened their songwriting pen since. Their songs often have strong drive and contain catchy choruses. However, they do not have a very wide space they operate in.

'The Beast Has Awoken' came out in February this year, after three years of silence. The song opens with synthesized melody and pop music guitar effect, then twice whispered "come and get it"; I was ready to stop listening to it already... However, the synthesizer melody gets massive (reminds me of Within Temptation's early work), distorted guitars hit in, the drums are thundering and the true surprise (not hearing the band previously), which is the vocals: They remind of one Hansi Kürsch!

The song pushes on for almost all the time (minus that poppy effect trick in the middle, ending up being totally redundant) while not going many places during its three and a half minutes. Tight heavy metal riffing and drumming, plus pulsing bass are all well performed. That synth melody is unforgettable. The sound is modern and in-your-face.

HWH offer mostly non-sugary pop-ish metal with excellent vocals and this song is a strong one. Very much worth checking out if "modern" isn't a tabu to you.

Rating: 7 (out of 10) ratings explained

Reviewed by Lane
05/23/2022 20:49