public

EXCLUSIVE PREMIERE: Hath Reincarnate With “Kenosis”

Back in 2019, a band called Hath suddenly burst unto the scene and took it by storm. Like a wildfire it spread and it seemed as if there was nowhere

2 years ago

Back in 2019, a band called Hath suddenly burst unto the scene and took it by storm. Like a wildfire it spread and it seemed as if there was nowhere to turn that wasn’t marked by Of Rot and Ruin, their debut full length release. Heavy Blog was no exception; we ran not only a review of the album but also an Anatomy Of post and a guest list from them. Funnily enough, we had also covered their EP in 2015 but, back then at least, Hath were nowhere near as arresting. Since the Great Hath Fire of 2019, the metal community has been eagerly awaiting a follow up from the band. Well, rejoice as we are here today to premiere “Kenosis”, the first track from Hath’s upcoming album, All That Was Promised. All that was promised indeed, as “Kenosis” builds on the solid foundation of Hath’s blackened death roots and escalates their sound even further with its evocative use of clean vocals on key choruses alongside the killer riffs, blast-beats, and gutturals which have become the band’s staple. Enough words! Bring on the riffs.

If you scroll down a bit on that video and read its description, you’ll find the band saying that this album is the first time they wrote music as a four-piece band and to be honest, it shows. “Kenosis” is incredibly well put together, gliding extremely smoothly between its different parts and pieces. You can hear it in the very first thirty seconds of the track, as that super fast drum roll effortlessly transitions the track from its intro to the first proper verse. That verse, and the chorus that follows it, is Hath through and through; deep, guttural vocals from Frank Albanese work alongside the muscular main riff, bouncing off of the blast-beats to conjure that groove that makes death metal so good. The lyrics and the abrasive edge of the vocals, as well as the sheer speed of the guitars, conjure up that blackened moniker, setting the entire thing ablaze with a cold, eldritch fire that’s hard to resist.

But the best part of the track, for me at least, is the sheer brilliance of the backing, clean vocals that erupt from bassist Greg Nottis near the three minute mark and beyond. They do such an amazing job when overlaid on Albanese’s deep timbre, to the degree that, even though they are short lived, the combo ends up leaving a deeply scorched mark over the entire track. Add in a killer solo soon thereafter, a dreamy take on the main riff dotted with a haunting guitar lead, and a forceful, robust outro and you’ve got “Kenosis”.

If you’re not excited for this album after all of that, I don’t know what to tell you. All That Was Promised releases on the 4th of March, 2022, via the indomitable, incomparable, superb Willowtip Records (all hail!) Head on over to Hath’s Bandcamp to pre-order this beast starting Friday, December 3rd, and, in the meantime, give yourself over to “Kenosis”.

Eden Kupermintz

Published 2 years ago