Hath/All That Was Promised/Willowtip Records/2022 CD Review

 

  New  Jersey's  hath  have  returned  with  a  new  recording  which  shows  the  music  going  for  more  of  a  blackened  form  of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  album  "All  That  Was  Promised"  which  will  be  released  in  2022  by  Willowtip  Records.

  Clean  playing  and  dark  soundscapes  start  off  the  album  before  going  into  a  heavier  direction  while  all  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.  Spoken  word  parts  can  also  be  heard  briefly  along  with  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  also  add  in  a  great  amount  of  brutal  sounding  blast  beats.

  Death metal  growls  are  also  a  very  huge  part  of  the  recording  while  the  songs  also  add  in  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  also  done  in  a  very  dark  style  along  with  the  riffs  also  adding  in  a  small  amount  of  melody  at  times  as  well  as  the  music  also  adding  in  a  great  amount  of  black  metal  elements.

  Clear  vocals  can  also  be  heard  on  a  couple  of  tracks  along  with  some  high  pitched  screams  also  being  added  into  some  parts  of  the  album  as  well  as  the  music  also  having  its  atmospheric  moments,  one  song  also  adds  in  a  brief  use  of  classical  guitars  and  a  couple  of  the  songs  are  also  long  and  epic  in  length.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  enduring  change  and  the  promises  made  to  us  in  life,  broken  or  otherwise.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  album  from  Hath  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  blackened  death  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  Million  Violations"  "losis"  "Death  Complex"  and  "Name  Them  Yet  Build  No  Monument".  8 out  of  10.\

Bandcamp: https://hathnj.bandcamp.com/album/all-that-was-promised

https://youtu.be/rgsI7bpWoz8    

Hath/Hive/Willowtip Records/2020 EP Re-Issue Review

  Hath  are  a  band  from  new  Jersey  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  on  this  recording  plays  a  progressive  form  of  blackened  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2015  ep  "Hive"  which  will  be  re-issued  in  October, 2020  by  Willowtip  Records  with  a  bonus  track.

  Clean  playing  starts  off  the  ep  before  going  into  a  heavier  musical  direction  while  a  great  portion  of  the  tracks  are  also  very  long  and  epic  in  length.  Vocals  are  mostly  death  metal  growls  along  with  all  of  the  musical  instruments  also  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  decent  amount  of  blast  beats  can  also b e  heard.

  Melodies  are  also  added  into  some  of  the  guitar  riffing  while  the  music  also  has  its  progressive  moments  along  with  some  black  metal  screams  also  being  utilized  at  times.  Acoustic  guitars  and  whispered  vocals  can  also  be  heard  on  a  couple  of  tracks  and  tremolo  picking  can  also  be  heard  in  some  of  the  faster  riffing.

  Throughout  the  recording  you  can  also  hear  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  the  solos  and  leads  also  being  done  in  a  very  melodic  and  progressive  musical  direction,  clean  vocals  can  also  be  heard  briefly  on  the  closing  track.  The  production  sounds  very professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  Dark  Souls,  Salt  And  Sanctuary  and  Dark  Fantasy  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Hath  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  progressive  blackened  death  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  re-issue.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Apparition"  and  "Hive".  8  out  of  10.

https://www.facebook.com/HathBand/ 

https://youtu.be/zWwdgursurE   

Hath Interview

1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?
Hath is a four person death metal band from New Jersey. We're just trying to make great, heavy songs.

2.In April you have your first full length coming out, musically how does it differ from the ep you had released in 2015?
Our Hive EP was pretty "safe" for us, but we wanted to try things we've never done this time around. There's a lot more focus on dynamics on this release, new approaches to the vocals, and some things people might not expect after hearing Hive. It's definitely more diverse but still heavier than before.

3.This is your first release in 4 years, can you tell us a little bit more about what has been going on during that time frame?
Life happens, I guess you could say. AJ, our drummer, opened a studio and was working hard on that. I (Frank) moved a few states away for a job, but now I'm back. Peter (guitar) joined the band between Hive and this upcoming release. We all have different musical side projects as well.

4.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects you have explored with your music so far?
Our first EP's content was all one concept, mostly telling one story. That was a fictional one about the folly of one person's lust for power. This album is a little more varied. Some songs explore dark feelings or experiences I or people I know have had, and the rest are inspired by works of fiction that we enjoy.

5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Hath'?
'Hath' just jumped out at me one day and I wanted to use it immediately. We brainstormed a large list of names but Hath was the one. I believe a band's music should speak for itself, and I didn't want a name that was distracting. Also it's an archaic form of "have" and to me represents possession in a way that I hope our music can.

6.Can you tell us a little bit more about the artwork that is presented on the new album cover/
We wanted something that stood out, but represented what the songs are. So we wanted something bleak and ruined in atmosphere, yet eye-catching. We were browsing Adam Burke's artwork because we liked his pieces for Vektor and some others, found the perfect piece, and that's what you see on the cover.

7.What are some of the best shows that the band has played over the years and also how would you describe your stage performance?
We've only recently started performing live, so there aren't many to choose from, but I feel our recent shows in North Carolina and Florida have been turning points for us. Our live performance is still evolving, but those shows were key points in that growth. We enjoy bringing energy into everything (I've developed a habit of screaming at the audience) and not wasting time with filler.

8.Do you have any touring or show plans once the new album is released?
We're currently on tour, as I'm answering these questions, but after this run we don't have any plans set in stone. We do intend to do so, I just can't say what those plans are yet.

9.The new album is coming out on 'Willowtip', how did you get in contact with this label?
Simple story, really. I'm not sure how but Jason found us on Bandcamp and was listening to us. He sent us messages on Bandcamp and emailed us, and we ALMOST didn't see them. Good thing we did because here we are.

10.On a worldwide level how has the reaction been to your music by fans of black and death metal?
We're still growing so it's hard to say, but we haven't heard anything negative yet. People seem to dig it, which is great, but we'd just continue doing what we like regardless.

11.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
We've already started working on songs for the next release, some before Of Rot And Ruin was even complete. I can say that it's definitely going in a darker, bleaker direction so far, but we want to continue pushing the boundaries of what we did on this album.

12.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?
We could talk about this for days, there are so many. The big ones for me, a lot of death metal and black metal, but mostly bands like Nevermore, Bloodbath, Nile, Gorguts, Ulcerate, there really is no shortlist. These days we're still listening to those i just said, Slugdge, Beyond Creation, Ulsect, Zhrine, Fleshgod Apocalypse, The Ocean, Dimmu Borgir, Alkaloid, and I'm a big fan of bands like Tribulation, The Great Old Ones, Akhlys, Svart Crown, Mgła, Deathspell Omega, I'm sure there are a thousand more I can't think of right now.

13.What are some of your non musical interests?
We're all gamers to an extent, so a lot of video games, and I'm big into tabletop gaming. Peter plays hockey in his spare time, and I'm training to wrestle in mine. AJ runs his own studio as I mentioned before. We're all pretty busy.

14.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
Black and death metal are constantly evolving. Embrace it. Support the bands you love, but don't shut yourself out from all the new good stuff coming out.

https://www.facebook.com/HathNJ/
Listen  https://youtu.be/TOaS5cPbmIY

Order via Willowtip  https://tinyurl.com/ybvwfrlo

Order via Bandcamp  https://tinyurl.com/y9l5hxhs  

Hath/Of Rot And Ruin/Willowtip/2019 Full Length Review

  Hath  are  a  band  from  new  Jersey  that  plays  a  blackened  form  of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2019  album  "Of  Rot  And  Ruin"  which  will  be  released  in  April  by Willowtip.

  Bell  sounds  start  off  the  album  before  going  into  a  heavier  direction  which  also  uses  a  great  amount  of  dark  sounding  melodies. When  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  brutal  sounding  blast  beats  can  also  be  heard.  Vocals  are  mostly  death  metal  growls  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts.

  All  of  the  musical  instruments  on  the  recording  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  while  the  solos  and  leads  are  done  in  a  very  dark  yet  melodic  style  as  well  as  having  their  technical  moments.  When  screams  are  utilized  they  also  add  in  a  touch  of  black  metal  along  with  that  influenced  being  added  in  the  fast  tremolo  picking  and  semi  melodic  yet  rough  vocals  can  also  be  heard  briefly  while  a  couple  of  tracks.

   Some  of  tracks  also add  acoustic  guitars  into  the  music  which  also  add  an  ethnic  feeling  to  some  of  the  songs  they  are  presented  on.  Clean  playing  can  also b e  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  along  with  the  music  focusing  more  on  a  heavy  and  brutal  style  and  most  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length.  As  the  album  progresses  an  acoustic  instrumental  is  added  onto  the  recording  before  returning  back  to  a  heavier  direction  on  the  remaining  songs.  The  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Hath  are  a  very  great  sounding  blackened  death  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Usurpation"  "Withered"  and  "Progeny".  8  out  of  10.

https://www.facebook.com/HathNJ/