Album Review: Hate – Auric Gates of Veles 8.3 (Black Metal)
Despite having formed a year earlier than Behemoth, Hate has always been in the shadow of their more distinguished compatriots. As it is very common within this domain, they have undergone several (read many) personnel changes. But approximately three decades into their career, they have established themselves with stumping iron feet and bellowing screams of triumph. It was in 2017 that they released Tremendum, a paradigm-shift in their long career and a praiseworthy album for certain. 2019 marks a second step toward their new destination; it is Auric Gates of Veles that further emphasizes their trajectory away from the so frequent themes of sacrilege and toward a more deeply pagan sphere, in particular probing and reflecting the Slavic rituals and folktales, at the same time having an eye on lesser known tales of other parts of the world. […]
