Albums•November 29, 2011•10,716 views

Hate Eternal I, Monarch

I, Monarch
01. Two Demons 02. Behold Judas 03. The Victorious Reign 04. To Know Our Enemies 05. I, Monarch 06. Path to the Eternal Gods 07. The Plague of Humanity 08. It Is Our Will 09. Sons of Darkness 10 Faceless One
2005 Earache Records
Our score 9
7/1/2005
I have been looking forward to this new Hate Eternal album for a while now, and now that I have had it in my possession, I feel like it has been completely worth the wait. I, Monarch is Hate Eternal's third album, and in my opinion, their best effort thus far. I have been a fan of Hate Eternal since their debut, and to be honest, I didn't think this unit would continue on as a serious, full-time band. When I heard Erik Rutan departed Morbid Angel to pursue Hate Eternal full-time, I was quite excited. The fruits of his labor are very apparent, as I, Monarch is the most focused Hate Eternal album to date. There is no drastic change in the band's sound, but everything is turned up past 10. The levels of precision, speed, song writing, and brutality are off the charts. The overall songwriting seems to be a mix of their two previous albums; they mix more of the groove from Conquering the Throne and the fierce technicality of King of All Kings. Every riff, every transition, sounds perfectly placed, as if the songs wrote themselves. The technicality of the guitar-work does not outshine the killer grooves of these songs either, as they are in perfect balance. Some songs, such as "The Victorious Reign", have a good old-school feel mixed with a modern death-metal sound, which is again in perfect balance. The vocals are similar Hate Eternal releases, with lower growls dominating, and higher screams reinforcing dynamics. The utter speed of Derek Roddy's drumming is fantastic, and I don't think anyone could argue with me when I say he is one of metal's best drummers. He is also one of the more creative death metal drummers, with his interesting cymbal work, in addition to his ferocious blast beats. I, Monarch is also the best sounding Hate Eternal album yet. The production, handled by Rutan himself, is absolutely crushing. However, it's not overly slick either. Like everything else on the album, the production is in perfect balance, sporting a good, clear sound, and punishing, thick tones. Bottom Line: Hate Eternal have outdone themselves with this newest record. While other Hate Eternal fans might not agree that this is their best release, I'm sure they will still enjoy this album thoroughly. I, Monarch has everything that a fan of death metal could ever want, and I'll dare say this could be the death metal album of the year. This is a modern death metal masterpiece.

21 comments

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anonymous 7/1/2005 4:54:27 PM

first post filhos da puta

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Mike_ 7/1/2005 5:05:51 PM

Great review overall Rob, a great album indeed.

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Dethroned_ 7/1/2005 5:32:17 PM

If you hate don't like these guys you should just go back to listening to Throwdown.

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yousuck_ 7/1/2005 6:23:47 PM

If you hate don't like these guys you should just go back to listening to Throwdown. posted by Dethroned () on 7/1/2005 5:32:17 PM

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EL justin_ 7/1/2005 6:32:17 PM

great review, this is definitely one of the best albums i have heard in a looong time.

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whitelambpowergoat_ 7/1/2005 7:08:00 PM

If you hate don't like these guys you should just go back to listening to Throwdown. posted by Dethroned () on 7/1/2005 5:32:17 PM posted by yousuck () on 7/1/2005 6:23:47 PM dosage of tr00f

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lefthandpath_ 7/1/2005 7:43:28 PM

This review is dead on. Death Metal album of the year? As of right now...but once the new Black Dahlia Murder album drops everyone will be changing their opinion...Rob, I hope you review that album..it destroys everything

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dutchstep_ 7/1/2005 7:49:52 PM

better than the latest Blood Red Throne? because right now that's my death metal album of the year. and keep in mind that Willowtip is rereleasing (french) Gclimax's(now known as Gorod) neurotripsicks. still this album rules hard!

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din_ 7/1/2005 8:13:33 PM

I like how that one dood said, "If you hate don't like these guys" and then 2 ppl quoted him. haha

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ihavegas_ 7/1/2005 9:59:37 PM

this album is good...

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TheWood_ 7/2/2005 12:05:12 AM

Hahaha...the new Black Dahlia Murder will NOT crush this album. Not that I particularly dislike BDM, but come on. Hate Eternal play in the big leagues...The Black Dahlia Murder is f*ckin' bush league compared to them.

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retch_ 7/2/2005 4:06:14 AM

f*cking great cd

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cranialdamage_ 7/2/2005 8:51:50 AM

great review rob, this album could very well be the best metal album of 05' for sure. eric had all the pieces for a great death metal album and he utilized them to offer us a slab of extremely technical american death metal. this is hate eternal this is metal \m/

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joehardcore_ 7/2/2005 9:27:06 AM

the day the BdM put out a better "death Metal" album then this is the day i will eat 5 buckets of my own shit. this record destroys everything.

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deadwithfear_ 7/3/2005 9:08:00 PM

if you don't like this album, you should die

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MATT_ 7/4/2005 8:09:00 AM

this cd kicks ass. hate eternal kicks ass, but Morbid Angel is still better.

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SMokeOutLoud_ 7/5/2005 9:28:29 AM

*awaiting the punch in the face that is the next HATE ETERNAL TOUE!!*

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ghetto_paul_ 7/5/2005 4:50:49 PM

this is an excellent album, no question about it, but the title track is glaringly not up to par with the rest of the album... the riff that starts around 1:20 and continues for the rest of the song is boring and uninspired. Luckily, it's the only lackluster track on the album. 8.5/10

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SwampLord_ 7/5/2005 5:18:14 PM

Very good album. A huge improvement over King of All Kings.

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Brad_ 7/7/2005 5:29:17 PM

I have the new black dahlia CD and although it is good, alot heavyer and darker, the guitar work is much slower and not as memorable, still a good cd but i am not sure if it amounts to this....

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metaldragon_ 7/9/2005 12:05:28 AM

i.e. any death metal with a lot of double bass, boring!!!!!

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