Review: Hecate Enthroned “Redimus” CD

After a semi "Hell Awaits"'-ish intro of reversed voices and distant wails underneath windy foreground textures this UK act plunges into some speedy blackened death metal that's not really doing much for me. They've been around for quite sometime and I never had an interest in 'em, and now I know why, because this is generally a very stale sounding disc if I must be so brash. Their approach is one blending snarling screams with occasional lower growls, lots of tremolo picking riffs, unnecessary atmospheric keyboards, and the occasional midpaced rhythm that will actually harness some true power. Now, of course, I've heard far worse than this, and there are some killer riffs present from time to time, but by and large the songwriting is boring. I'm not into the keyboards at all, they do nothing but clutter up the mix and take away from the aggression, I dislike the lead vocals and much prefer the lower growls, and most of the songs rely too heavily on boring speeds that lack energy and get redundant. As mentioned there are some truly powerful elements at work, and usually the darker midpaced riffing that flirts with some dissonance is excellent, but the keyboards really fuck things up, and the recording has some minor issues that play a big role in that. For the most part the sound is solid, I think it's a little muddy, and the guitar tone has a bit of a sheen to it, but they're alright. Were the drums thicker they'd be in a better position, as the growling vocals fit in great against the guitars (the sneers are kept in check but still sound flimsy compared to the more aggressive growling). But the most significant problem is that the keyboards clutter the mix and fuck with the clarity - the synths really need to get lost on this one... they'd have a stronger record on their hands were that the case. "The Face of Betrayal" is by far the most explosive of the faster tracks, running on a little longer than necessary but still maintaining a decent level of intensity throughout (granted the whispered vocals are sort of cheesy here). However, the acoustic guitars that open "As Fire" are fucking stellar, leading into a vicious midpaced rhythm that thickens things up very nicely. The instrumental "Morbeea" also displays some beautiful acoustic work, some of which has a traditional/folk sort of flare, so I can't help but wonder why they don't make more use of these impressive performances within the context of their normal songs!? The layout is all done in black and metallic silver with lots of overused but always awesome Albrecht D?rer prints dealing with apocalyptic subject matter that fits the lyrics well. The songs tend to oppose christianity almost exclusively, with a few venturing more into a distaste for humanity as a whole. "The cross is inverted, believe holy son, The earth now finally as it should be, No more the reign of hypocrisy, The planet of Satan now rebuilt by me, The cross is inverted - eternally, You cannot deny an eternal belief." It's a shame, because despite being quite bored by what is essentially a mediocre record here, I think the band does have a knack for writing strong riffs... I just think they spread their efforts a little wide rather than focusing in on their core strengths. There's a lot of value here that only gets a few minor chances to present itself, which confuses the hell out of me. I don't know, I still have very little interest in this band, but there's no doubt that they have the potential at their disposal to do far better than this.