Without time for a breath of air, HATE MANIFESTO begin their aural assault. With the atmosphere and space of Black Metal, and the sheer groove and aggression of Death Metal, opening track "Herald Of Triumph" is indeed a manifesto. Across the 4 minute sonic onslaught, HATE MANIFESTO lay out their intentions, and template, bare. We pass from violent riff to vicious hook, making sure to keep a breakneck pace at all times. This is an effective rule book they have penned. It results in keeping the listener in a state of stasis between becoming placid and becoming exhausted. Nothing lasts long enough to leave a bad taste in the mouth, meaning weaker moments are quickly forgotten. However, this adherence to such a lively pace is also where the band falter.

Moments throughout this EP are unfortunately never given the proper amount of time to live their full potential. For example, "Scourge Of The Iron Beast" opens with a superb riff, with a classic Death Metal snarl and a strong potential to groove. This groove never arrives however, as the pace of the drums clashes with the riff, leading to an unnatural feel, that seems unintentional, before moving on to the next riff. Conversely, track 3, "Perpetual Glorification Of The Eternal Symbols" actually gives the music too much time, as riffs slowly turn monotonous and begin to drag. To make matters worse, an unimaginative fade out ending on both this track and the opener, drag songs out, killing the impact of the supersonic pacing. As well as this, the fade outs simply do not fit these songs. Harsh attacks fading out and becoming gentle? Such juxtaposition merely decreases any abrasiveness, which is not appropriate at all here.

The only real fault that I can find with HATE MANIFESTO is simply that I struggle to say anything at all. By definition, this record is good. It is functional. It is enjoyable and it is worthy of your time. Yet will it change the world as we know it? No. Frantic and aggressive, "Herald Of Triumph" is a succinct and enjoyable EP from HATE MANIFESTO that, whilst not reinventing the wheel, is a solid chunk of Blackened Death Metal.