Hateform's latest fireworks didn't quite make it for New Year, but this debut album was released on January 30th. This young band, formed in 2004, have the balls size of pomegranates. Quite a speedy growth from a baby to this well-stocked beast, methinks, although three of the guys collaborated in Morbid Dream together.

Hateform's metal is described as death but fuck that, it's more like modern thrash, albeit with death metal bits well represented. The first thing that stroke me was the musicians' skills; fucking awesome performances (how about 8-finger tapping guitar solo on 'Sky Cries Blood', eh?!? Prepare for some serious shredding!!!)! Then I was taken by the groove. And after a few spins, I started to find subtleties in arrangements, although it needed some deep digging. Hateform mix tough thrashing (e.g. old Machine Head, new Exodus, new Kreator, Diablo), groove à la Pantera, technicality in vein of Darkane, Death and old Soilwork, European style death metal, plus growled, shouted and screamed death metal vocals, which are angry and potent, but could be more varying. So, the song material is diverse enough, but not very characteristic. Instrumental parts include simply awesome soloing and permutating tempo changes. Commendations go out to the guys for their way of matching technicality, groove and intensiveness without sounding pretentious at all.

Two thumbs up go for the production job, that was done by Mors Principium Est fellas Jori Haukio (ex-MPE) and Teemu Heinola. The sound is best described as full-frontal, maintaining both the clarity and the heaviness. This album should carry a warning sticker reading "extremely heavy and noisy; might make you deaf"... The cover painting is awesome, giving the band a perfect illustrative form.

In all, 'Dominance' is full of steady modern thrash/death metal stuff that surely will work in live environment, but as mentioned, could include more hooks when listened in safety of home. Hateform are full of huge promise, which they don't display to full magnitude on this good debut album. They will show it better on their sophomore album, I'm sure about it! A loud foreboding of impending future has been given. Shit, first new Ghost Guard and now this...

Update (March 20th, 2020): Time flies and this album rocks bloody hard! The album was released about 3 months earlier to Testament's comeback album 'The Formation of Damnation', and this review under 2 months prior that. I had no idea how the new Testament would sound like. Not a million miles from this, actually! I also could have included the band Konkhra in this review. The score was originally 7+ out of 10, but now it is time to rise it, because my brains have really began to dig this true piledriver of an album!!! Also the "honorary mention" awarded.
- Lane

Rating: 8½ (out of 10) ratings explained

Reviewed by Lane
02/03/2008 13:44