Ablaze in Hatred - Deceptive Awareness
81%
Ever since I’ve been to Helsinki I keep saying it: ‘Finland is the absolute heavy metal country number one.’ It was no surprise to me that so many unknown bands stunned me at the Finland Metal Expo, nor that Iron Maiden scheduled two shows for a country with only five million inhabitants nor that Ablaze in Hatred is a new qualitative funeral doom band.
Do not expect the staccato guitar riffs of the early doom days but think of slow rhythms, melancholic melodies and keyboards that attribute to the emotions and there it is, Ablaze in Hatred. Now I’m critical on the forehand with doom metal. The very highest perquisite to me personally is that I’ll become somehow introvert and tragic because of the music and that the songs grab me down and make me wonder.
Now, Ablaze in Hatred manages just to do this by creating long, slow songs that seem to drown in tragedy. What surprised me mostly when listening to the album at first is the sense for good songwriting; all the melodies are intertwined naturally and for the first time I can remember I do not feel awkward by the length of the songs, which is above seven minutes and more. Especially ‘When the blackened candles shine’ is a magnificent treat during the, most of the time, dark winters with its multi-dimension melodies..
I found it hard to describe this album since it is obviously influenced by My Dying Bride but is certainly not a copycat. The vocals consist of grunts most of the time (backing screams do occur) but they are mostly not present. Instead, simple melodies will guide you through the deep dimensions of Deceptive Awareness which make you feel both depressed and satisfied at the same time. Therefore, I’d say you should really listen to this first before considering a purchase. This album is a tough one, but simply one of the best of its kind in the scene.
