Hate takes up arms again.

Four years after their last release, the band led by Adam “Perun V.” Buszko (guitar/vocals), Tiermes (bass, Shodan), Domin (guitar, Vedonist, Extinct Gods) and Daniel “Nar-Sil” Rutkowski (drums, Neolith, Redemptor, Virgin Snatch) unveils Rellum Regiis via their label Metal Blade Records.

The band called on Michal Staczkun (Patriarkh) for samples and keyboards, and Eliza Sacharczuk for female vocals.

The album gets off to a melancholy start with the gentle introduction to Bellum Regiis, the long eponymous track that soon ignites into an interesting duet between Perun V. and Eliza, followed by massive, majestic riffs that are also quite jerky. Dissonant leads reinforce the track’s aggressiveness, before allowing it to take on more mystical flights of fancy, before finally reaching Iphigenia, where the sound quickly becomes anguished but also very powerful. Devastating drums combine with a fairly simple, dark approach, but also a palpable permanent oppression that at times turns into a warlike fury embellished with harmonics that will join The Vanguard, where a moment of saving respite awaits us. It doesn’t last, of course, and turns into a wave of pure aggression with sharp Old School roots, before letting A Ghost of Lost Delight march in turn towards a half-martial, half-occult approach, while trampling us with a thick rhythmic base. The final hazy notes transition into Rite of Triglav and its ritualistic percussion, which introduces Perun Rising, a composition related to the band founder’s new stage name, but also and above all to Slavic mythology, where he is the god of storm and thunder. The track is one of the most massive on the album, offering a quasi-permanent onslaught that will be most effective live, while Alfa Inferi Goddess of War again cultivates disquiet through more sophisticated, hypnotic leads. The riffs intensify on the final, revealing striking tones before reverting to a more jerky approach on Prophet of Arkhen, still revealing a pretty impressive punch, especially coupled with the ambient keyboards. Ageless Harp of Devilry closes the album with the same mix of straightforward riffs tinged with a rather heavy ambience, but also with some more misty passages that make it mysterious.

Bellum Regiis continues Hate‘s plunge into the occult, exploiting its roots to the full while remaining anchored in a Black/Death sound that is sometimes overpowering. Fans won’t be surprised, and neophytes will be crushed.

90/100

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