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Made of Hate: Pathogen
Made of Hate Pathogen album new music review

Made of Hate: Pathogen

Melodic Heavy/Power/Death Metal
3.5/5.0

It seems that Poland's Made of Hate is getting the push in North America from Germany's AFM Records; it appears that their sophomore album Pathogen was released sometime last summer in Europe. Licensing is a bitch: Dangerdog HQ only got their preview copy today. Once again, a label does not realize that the Internet, and music, is universal. So, with apologies to my European readers and others, I offer my commentary on Made of Hate's Pathogen.

Often criticized as a Children of Bodom clone with their debut Bullet to the Head, Made of Hate should silence their critics on Pathogen. Or possibly not. A survey of Web info calls them melodic death metal. I don't hear it. Michal Kostrzynski vocals are hardly death growls, although at times they approach them. Rather, he sounds like Lemmy with a sore throat and a sinus infection. But for the sake of my colleagues and the Internet scuttlebutt lets tack on the whole 'death' metal motif.

So what. Frankly, as others said six months ago, Kostrzynski's vocals suck.

The music is much more interesting. Invoking melodic power and traditional heavy metal, Made of Hate delivers some interesting material. If I could predict the future, reforming the vocals, Made of Hate could be a pure melodic progressive metal band. I like the music: it's heavy and forceful, but also melodic with developed hooks and twists. Then Kostrzynski appears and spoils it all. It takes a lot of skill to deliver any kind of 'dirty' or 'death' vocals. Made of Hate should give it up. Listening to Friend, Questions, I Can't Believe, Pathogen, and especially the untitled instrumental that closes the album, I'm charmed by Made of Hate's amazing metal talent. I want more of Pathogen, but less of those accursed vocals.

Musically, Made of Hate delivers a speculator melodic heavy, power, even progressive metal album. But it's ultimately destroyed by their attempt to include death/dirty vocals: it doesn't work.




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In Short

Musically, Made of Hate delivers a spectacular melodic heavy, power, even progressive metal album. But it's ultimately destroyed by their attempt to include death/dirty vocals, but it doesn't work.

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