Too often, contemporary black-metal bands get too absorbed in either the gothic melodrama or the punishing menace that defines the genre. It’s a successful blending of those two that makes a good black-metal album, and The Project Hate (from Sweden) ease back from either extremity by creating a successful amalgam of creepy horror-show theatrics and grinding apocalypse-rock. The alternating male/female vocals are a neat trick, as the contrast between death growls and Medusa melodies heightens the tension within these minor-key rumbles. True, like many of their contemporaries, TPH get a little too liberal with their use of tinkly keyboards, but thudding buzzsaw guitars make up for it: The group’s sense of arrangements and orchestration are at their peak on this, their fourth album. Each song is a tiny epic, filled with dramatic tempo changes and mood shifts, making for an excellently dark listen.
This article appears in Sep 8-14, 2004.