UMUR
"New Hell" is the 9th full-length studio album by Danish thrash metal act Hatesphere. The album was released through Massacre Records in November 2015. It´s the successor to "Murderlust" from 2013. Hatesphere was formed in 2001 and can by now rightfully be called veterans of the Danish scene. They are also one of the most consistent and prolific acts on said scene, and have done pretty well for themselves internationally too.
Right from the start they´ve played an aggressive and at times brutal type of thrash metal with the occasionally nod towards melodeath, and they´ve pretty much stuck to their guns ever since. "New Hell" is no different and continues down the same path as it´s predecessors. References to Slayer and especially The Haunted are valid. So stylistically there are no surprises, which in some cases can be an issue, but on "New Hell" the familiarity of the music style isn´t that much of a problem. But it could be argued that the band aren´t spending much time developing their style. But if you enjoy the past releases by Hatesphere, there´s no need to get off the train here.
The material on the 10 track, 40:38 minutes long album is predominantly aggressive and relatively fast-paced thrash metal, but Hatesphere understands the importance of variation, and successfully incorporate both heavy groove laden sections, melodic solos, and a couple of more mellow sections too. The vocals are raw, distorted, and shouting. The type of thrash metal vocals with a "core" edge. The musicianship is generally on a high level and the dynamic playing and convincing delivery of the material is a great asset. The listener is overall treated to a very tight performance.
"New Hell" was recorded at Antfarm Studio in Aarhus, Denmark with producer Tue Madsen, and the sound production is powerful and very well sounding. The perfect match for the music. There´s a good balance between raw power and clarity and details. Upon conclusion "New Hell" is a high quality release by Hatesphere. They may not deliver anything you haven´t heard before, but they do what they so do damn well, that it´s a redeeming factor even if originality is an important element to you. A 4 star (80%) rating is deserved.