Mastabah – I Hate You (2014)

Arriving as one of the most brutal releases we have received in 2014, today we have Mastabah and their devastating “I Hate You”. Pouncing on the listener with brutal blast beats and crushing vocals, this release can be compared to a more chaotic Anaal Nathrakh rooted in Death Metal foundations.

Blasting things wide open with the incisive “Shackles of the Past”, the band is very serious about making their point of being super brutal. The crushing drumming is perfectly produced and shines through the heaps of growls, shrieks and relentless riffing. The band goes back and forth between insane brutality levels and Death Metal grooviness in tracks like “Spectacle of Human Existence” and the excellent “Deck of Life and Death”.

While the band sound is a bit compact, the constantly try funky things to make their songs discernible from one another like on “Danse Macabre” and its interesting tempo changes an atmospheric elements. However, we are not saying that straightforward tracks like the monolithic “The Way from the Grave” or the soul wrenching “Amphitheatre of Hate” are bad, the band’s insane brutality and crushing sound makes them very entertaining and engaging.

As a whole, “I Hate You” is quite a crushing release filled with tons of cool riffs and expertly crafted drums. Having multiple vocal styles thrown into the mix really helps the songs standout and avoids making them dull. If you like sheer brutality and want your head to hurt from headbanging so hard, look no further and get this release.

Label: Self-Released

Release: September 16th, 2014

Genre: Extreme Death Metal

Country: USA