With three EP’s and albums since Hate Forest’s return in 2020, we can safely say that Roman Saenko is not yet done with this most relentless band in his entire oeuvre. And, with the exception of 2022’s ‘Innermost’, Hate Forest doesn’t show any sign of watering down its signature aggression or overall fatigue. On the contrary, last year’s ‘Justice’ was one of the wildest recordings Hate Forest ever brought to the table. Many people assumed that the ferocity found on this album, which was somewhat milder than its predecessor, had to do with the fact that ‘Innermost’ had been recorded before the Russian invasion and the ensuing war. ‘Justice’ showed that the band’s furious nature was still alive and well, and possibly further fuelled by the injustice done to his country and people. The latest album, which was once again brought to life under the inspiring leadership of Osmose Productions, is a logical continuation of what we heard last year on ‘Justice’.
Admittedly after a few surprises, ‘Against All Odds’ does anything but that. We were floored with the band’s unexpected return with ‘Hour Of The Centaur’ (2020), but ‘Innermost’ was almost equally surprising for its mellower tone (for Hate Forest standards, that is). Although we more or less knew that the first war-era album might be outrageously brutal, still ‘Justice’ was a deadly punch in the face. None of this is the case with ‘Against All Odds’. This is “just” a new Hate Forest album.
But, it is one with murderous intentions, just like the cover art by Warhead Artwork (Marduk, Bluthammer, Gotthammer, Satanism a.o.) already implies. The majority of what is offered here is rather one-dimensional and on considerable speed, including the start-stop transitions between the individual tracks. Consequently, ‘Against All Odds’ is a merciless sonic beating that is really only equalled (and surpassed, honestly) by ‘The Most Ancient Ones’ (2002), the band’s revered debut album. Although you could explain this as a creative shortcoming or a lack of inspiration, it is perhaps more than anything else a statement of musical tenacity. Hate Forest has primarily been a band that punctuated the raw ugliness of the Black Metal genre, blended with a vibe of savage and utterly brutal Death Metal. That merciless forward thrusting drive that is basically the ultimate trademark of Hate Forest is not only what made them recognizable it became almost synonymous with Ukrainian pride and resistance.
And that is precisely what makes ‘Against All Odds’ another glorious highlight in the now quite extensive Hate Forest discography. Perhaps hardly surprising, but all the more impressive in its execution. The fans of the blunt force sort of Black Metal can rejoice and those who like to dig a little deeper will find all the subtle little details like those marvellous drum fills by Vlad Petrov (Drudkh, Rattenfänger, Precambrian and Windswept).
