A golden crown rests above a blackened brow.
Stylistic evolution can take many forms and occur at varying paces, but it only ever proves successful if some degree of attention is paid to where things began. The trajectory of Polish blackened death metal stalwarts Hate has definitely been one of qualitative consistency, but also one that has seen some sizable changes.
Originally cutting their teeth in the early to mid-90s death metal scene, they opted for an occult-driven mode of old school brutality that has often drawn comparisons to the likes of Deicide and Vader. More recently, the decrepit swamps that they’ve been treading bear more likeness to that of Necrophobic and fellow Polish blackened death trailblazers Behemoth from a musical perspective; though lyrically they’ve eased off on the edgier themes of blasphemy and antitheism for a more contemplative blend of esotericism and philosophical inquiry with a mystical bent, spearheaded by a series of sonically furious yet thematically nuanced albums since 2017’s Tremendum.
A few twists and turns along the way has brought this Slavic quartet to Bellum Regis, their 13th and latest studio LP, and also one of the first offerings from their arsenal in a while towards the black metal side of their hybrid style. An air of primordial nostalgia and mysticism hangs over a truly spellbinding balance of uncompromising metallic aggression and a mournful atmosphere accomplished through samples, orchestration, intermittent acoustic guitar passages, and a haunting accompaniment series of chants and melodic asides by Polish singer and voice instructor Eliza Sacharczuk.
Most of the peripheral moving parts that gives these songs their uniquely magical quality owes to lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist/band founder ATF Sinner’s ingenuity as a songwriter and arranger, though one would be remiss not to be impressed by the visceral power of his old school guttural vocal delivery. Likewise, the intricate riff work that typifies much of what occurs on here is further amplified by a stellar lead guitar delivery by Domin, who, along with the super cell-like storm of controlled fury projected by drummer Nar-Sil and bassist Tiermes, rivals the virtuosic take on this style often exhibited by Necrophobic.
The grandiose imagery of a struggle for power between rivaling parties hinted in the album’s very title, which translates to “A War of Kings”, is mirrored at every turn in the epic and ambitious way in which these songs unfold. The exploratory tale of human conflict begins with a riveting exposition and title entry in “Bellum Regis”, which commences with a highly cinematic acoustic and orchestrated introduction that paints a picture of fatalism and proceeded to explode into a war-like storm of machine gun drumming and rapid fire riff work that could all but topple any castle’s wall.
The transitions that follow between pummeling death metal heaviness and shimmering black metal chaos are seamlessly realized, while the constantly deep and animalistic character of Sinner’s vocal delivery provides a more static foil for the melancholic atmosphere that surrounds it. Subsequent entries like “Iphigenia” and “A Ghost Of Lost Delight” follow a similar modus operandi of drawn-out songwriting with a well-rounded mixture of brutality and sepulchral sorrow, the former favoring more acoustic passages while the latter achieves nuance through more frequent breaks into slower territory.
Though, as a collective whole, the mixture of black and death metal elements remains mostly balanced, individually, things occasionally see one side being favored over the other. The constantly hazy and occasionally chaotic “The Vanguard” leans all but totally into the blackened end of things, save for the bestial yet intelligible barks of Sinner and a rather flashy guitar solo thrown in by Domin.
“Perun Rising” could all but be mistaken for something that Abbath might have created either with his solo band or during the latter days of his tenure with Immortal were he doing the vocals, and if the production had been slightly more low-fi.
On the other hand, the more Arabian-like and blast happy storm of war-like tech death intensity that is “Alfa Inferi Goddess Of War” could all but be a lost entry from one of Nile’s recent albums, save the lack of any Egyptian vernacular instrument samples and a few blurring segments of blackness. But in terms of straight-up brutality that sums up this outfit’s death metal roots, the highly memorable riff machine “Prophet Of Arkhen” lays down the chaotic heaviness with the best of them.
For longtime fans of what Hate brings to the table, along with other black/death metal mainstays like Azarath and Belphegor, Bellum Regiis presents a fresh, 2025 updated version of the sort of hybrid carnage that has been shocking the masses since the 2000s.
It often hearkens back to the multifaceted and ambitious character that typified Hate’s 2010 smash entry Erebos, though the added benefit of improved studio production equipment and practices, coupled with an even more grandiose approach to storytelling, makes for an album that doesn’t feel derivative while towing the same basic stylistic line. The level of theatricality that comes into play is naturally heightened, though the use of symphonic and other peripheral elements is done quite tastefully and serves as an album that is built primarily out of raw metallic aggression.
Equal parts cinematic and savage, Bellum Regiis it’s a triumphant reckoning from a band that still revels in the art of controlled chaos. This is blackened death at its most venomous and imperial, a declaration of war from a band still hellbent on conquering the genre they helped define.
Musicians:
- ATF Sinner / Vocals, guitar
- Domin / Guitar
- Tiermes / Bass
- Nar-Sil / Drums
Bellum Regiis Track-list:
- Bellum Regiis
- Iphigenia
- The Vanguard
- A Ghost of Lost Delight
- Rite of Triglav
- Perun Rising
- Alfa Inferi Goddess of War
- Prophet of Arkhen
- Ageless Harp of Devilry
Order Bellum Regiis here
Bellum Regiis is a venomous strike laced with ritual and ruin, where Hate channel mysticism into pure sonic warfare. It’s brutal, it’s spectral — and it absolutely crushes
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Songwriting
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Musicianship
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Originality
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