Have you ever had to look at something differently to understand and acknowledge it from a different perspective? This is what I had to do with this reissue of "Hecatomb". The original EP was released in 1999 with this reissue containing a longer intro and two new songs.

This album is kind of sketchy. Upon my first listen I noticed the mix was awkward and unstable. The drums overpower and overrun the rest of the instruments. I found myself unintentionally mesmerized by the obnoxiousness of the drums. While some passages were nice, for the most part the drums proved unpleasant after a while. The guitars were low in the mix and I had to concentrate to focus my attention on the solos and even some riffs that blended in with the noise that at times it was hard to differentiate. While some death/thrash riffs saved me from this eternal damnation, overall I initially thought this was a terrible album, strongly at the hands of Hammerheart Records and its aloof attempt to deviate the work REPUGNANT strived for.

I had to take a break and come to this album again, I wasn't going to be left disappointed. I knew riffs like those couldn't be that bad so I revisited what I thought would be an ominous déjà vu brewing to arise again. A Greek philosopher, Heraclitus, has a famous saying, "No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it's not the same river and he's not the same man." He's right, even if you detest something once again, you have previous knowledge about an event and more or less know what to expect. I had to unscramble my mind and listen to this album again, taking in consideration what I had in store.

My intention was solely to comprehend the riffs, they would be the main focus. Drums would have to be sudden prerogatives of the guitars. Death / Thrash has to be one of the fastest and neatly executed styles in the more extreme genres without technicality. It's a hybrid I don't hear so very often so it's a privilege to have run into such a band. Once I prepared to intake their songs again, I really got into it. The riffs were neatly executed, nice tone, low-quality production, the epidemic of old school Death Metal, it reminded me of RIPPING CORPSE. This new epiphany allowed me to rediscover what I almost missed.

The only real complaint I have is REPUGNANT's cover of CELTIC FROST's "The Usurper". I never heard such a horrid solo in my entire life, it wasn't even the proper solo in the original version, REPUGNANT's version was a spastic disorganized static expulsion of a toxic radio station. I don't know if the "actual" solo REPUGNANT intended was overshadowed by Hammerheart Records' remix or if the guitarists simply couldn't execute it correctly and just latched this sporadic disgrace because of a deadline for the album, so to speak. Overall I think they'd be better off subtracting this track from the reissue or questioning the record label and the staff corresponding with this album.