Review by Rachel Jablonski
Not to flaunt my vast Danish speaking capabilities, but now seems like a good time to utilize one of the four sentences that I know. Jeg elsker ost! English translation: “I love cheese!” Whether or not Hatesphere loves cheese is unknown at this point. Fortunately, the purpose here is to expose the Danish band’s latest release and not their dairy product preferences.
Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, and Something Black is essentially an EP intended to suffice until the next full-length Hatesphere album is released. The first track on the album, “Release the Pain,” is a brand new song serving as a preview for the next album. The song stems from the thrash roots that typically compose Hatesphere. Fast and active, the song combines guitar frenzy with hard-hitting drums and screaming vocals intended to “release the stress, release the pain” as the lyrics disclose.
In contrast to the potential displayed by the first song, covers of Ozzy’s “Bark at the Moon” and Anthrax’s “Caught in a Mosh” fail to uphold passion and merit. “Bark at the Moon” is an over modification of the original with increased tempo and revised orchestration. In addition, the vocal arrangement in “Caught in a Mosh” seems to greatly hinder the song. Cookie monster vocals and constant screaming throughout both tracks overpower the music and thus mangle the interpretation of each cover song.
The live portion of the album featuring songs compiled during Hatesphere’s European tour with The Haunted weaves the remaining part of the album together. These tracks are animated and representative of a good live performance. One could only ask for more Danish to be spoken in between songs in order to increase Danish vocabulary from four sentences!