Hate Eternal is a death metal band from St.Petersburg, Florida and one of the death metal fans' favourites. Was formed back in 1997 , and the first line-up included Erik Rutan on guitars and vocals, well known to the death fans as being a member of Morbid Angel in the albums Domination and Gateways To Annihilation, Jared Anderson on bass guitar and co-vocals,Tim Yeung on drums and Doug Cerrito of Suffocation on guitars.

After two years of absence, Hate Eternal is back with their fifth new album, Phoenix Amongst The Ashes which was recorded at Erik Rutan's own Mana recording studio in St.Petersburg. The current line-up includes Erik Rutan on guitars and vocals, Jade Simonetto (ex-The Plasmarifle) on drums and J.J. Hrubovcak (ex-Vile) on bass guitar.
Albert Mudrian (author of Choosing Death - every metalhead's guide to the best death and grind bands on the scene) described it as 'The best death metal record I've heard in forever'. This statement by itself does not leave you room for a second thought. Phoenix Amongst The Ashes is one the most interesting death metal albums.

Phoenix Amongst The Ashes is an album full of unusual rhythms and tonalities. Drums that don't interfere with the guitars sounding clearly and natural but still like a hurricane. Vocals are angry and demonic with differences in range, something I really enjoyed and kept my interesting alive most of the time listening to it. Monotonous blasting times of the early years were left behind. Brutal, scary and aggressive  guitars with brilliantly played riffs, make it difficult to choose the best one out of it.

This album succeeds to keep you interested from the very beginning, since the intro of the first album Rebirth slowly introduces you to what is coming next. It is not easy to choose the best song through the whole album but in my opinion Hounting Abound, has something more than the others. Feels like its dynamic and melody are so nicely tied up with the rhythm something that makes you want to  hear it again and again and again... (or at least made me to do so ).  Guitars in the beginning of The Art Of Redemption played on the high strings , is -as a friend told me yesterday- 'The most appropriate song fitting to a tooth drilling session on the dentist'. I have to agree, but I must admit that this drilling, no matter the pain, might have  felt like paradise (to one's ears at least).

To wrap it up, this album is 'a must have' to the fans of the genre.  A great respect to a band which always pushed its boundaries, having recorded a new album which does not escape from the death metal's 'rules'. I hope you will enjoy it as much as I did.