Self-Hatred - Hlubiny (CD)

Review
Doom-metal.com
7/10
25.04.2019

Before I begin this review, I'd like to mention my appreciation for Self-Hatred's decision to utilise its native language on this album. Over the years, I've found that too many bands force themselves to sing in English even when it's detrimental to their music. Lyrically, there have been some absolute calamities because of it, which is perfectly understandable for people trying to speak a language that is not their first. I know plenty of English people that butcher the English language so what chance does the average Joe from abroad have?! How can someone hope to express themselves properly in anything but their native tongue, though? It's not impossible but it's unrealistic to expect it so I don't know why so many attempt it. Therefore, I'm pleased that Self-Hatred has not catered for the demands of the masses on 'Hlubiny' with everything on the release being listed in Czech.

Needless to say that translating the song titles and lyrics involved me going overdrive with Google Translate (which, as always, I'd take with a pinch of salt) but I don't mind that at all. Every day's a school day, and learning languages in any capacity appeals to me greatly. Even the relative teen-angst lyrics unearthed as a consequence could not dissuade me from my stance! I'm not sure what else I hoped for with a band name like "Self-Hatred", really, but I stand by what I said - kudos to the band for sticking to its guns.

Self-Hatred's style on their second full-length release 'Hlubiny' is a more emotional brand of Death/Doom. They tend to drift between the typical love and hate elements on a rather frequent basis in the form of slow, soft passages and more up-tempo pieces accompanied by harsh vocals.To put that a little more plainly, if this album were a break-up, most of it is played at the stage where you see your ex dating your best friend. That works, though - I'd argue that the band is better at producing the 'hate' element, aided by some fairly poor production in places, but I can't complain about either in any major fashion. I wouldn't have the audacity anyway, bearing in mind that Self-Hatred has somehow managed to seamlessly utilise the sound of a saxophone occasionally within this Death/Doom release!

I think it's plain to see that Self-Hatred has been inspired by Gothic Metal but the band stays true to Death/Doom in general. The general pace of the release is slow with more 'contemplative' riffs although the more memorable passages are found when the band steps it up a notch. I'm torn between whether I find this album average or innovative, to be honest. That in itself should say it's worth a spin though. The general music on this release has been done dozens of times before but some elements haven't, and they weren't done in the desperate 'quick, panic - we need to do something to make us stand out' manner either. If nothing else, 'Hlubiny' is an interesting album despite the relatively Emo name of the band. I'm a big fan of their guitar-work on this release too - it's clean, atmospheric, and shepherds the music along brilliantly.

In terms of production, the music isn't great. However, speaking as somebody that used to listen to underground Hungarian Black Metal in his 'cooler' days, I can assure you that I have definitely heard worse production than this - even in the Doom Metal sphere. To put that into context, listening to 'Hlubiny' does sound like it's music that is coming through your neighbour's wall - it's just that your neighbour actually lives in the house adjoining your own rather than five miles away in a secret underground bunker.

The best way I can surmise this album is to say that it's very curious. I won't stick my neck on the chopping block and say that anybody in particular would enjoy 'Hlubiny' but I think everybody should give it a whirl because it's different and intriguing. Church bells, saxophones, organs, harsh vocals, spoken vocals - where else can you find a band that manages to fuse these elements on one album?! Their lyrical approach may been teenage (or it may not be, depending on if Google Translate is trolling me) but their song structures are mature, patient, composed, and creative. In a somewhat bemused way, I like what Self-Hatred has done here, and that's despite them fusing some elements that I seriously dislike. So, yeah - give it a try, and keep an eye out for this band in future. Oh, and extra points are awarded for the use of a legible font on their album inlay too, of course.

Author: Ian Morrissey

Review
Wings of Death
05.08.2018

Self-Hatred, de zelfverklaarde meesters van atmosferische doom death metal uit Tsjechië, heeft zojuist z'n tweede album Hlubiny uitgebracht, het is daarmee de opvolger van Theia uit 2016. Daar had ik indertijd al wel een paar nummers van gehoord, maar me verder nog niet verdiept in de band. Dat moet dus nu maar gebeuren; eerst maar even de droge info vooraf:

Hlubiny (Diepten) werd opgenomen in de Hellsound Studio, het mixen en masteren werd uitgevoerd door Honza Kapak (Master's Hammer, Krieg, Nargaroth, Panychida). Het boekje van zestien pagina's bevat een conceptueel ontwerp dat de muziek aanvult met visuele beelden. Het album komt op een vergulde CD met pit-art. Het is dus een album geworden vanuit een uitgebreid concept, met diepgaande teksten over het verliezen van geliefden en vergetelheid. Dat klinkt me als een optimale voedingsbodem voor doom metal in de oortjes.

Met het nieuwe album heeft Self-Hatred een verdere stap gezet in z'n ontwikkeling. Hlubiny bevat dynamisch, maar toch monolithisch, zorgvuldig doordacht materiaal tot in de kleinste details: van geluid tot arrangementen en vooral het eerder genoemde concept. Variërend in stijl van funeral doom metal tot atmosferische black metal, met wisselende tempo's en een mix van zware gitaarriffs met piano en synthesizers en verschillende soorten mannelijke zang. Alles wordt ingezet om maar een zo melancholisch, deprimerend mogelijke sfeer neer te zetten.

Die sfeer komt het best tot zijn recht wanneer zware piano-klanken worden vermengd met ijle gitaarlijnen, en een soort van ingetogen grunt. Zoals bijvoorbeeld titelnummer Hlubiny in optima forma laat horen. De doom metal van Self-Hatred is niet zozeer log of zwaar, maar bovenal erg episch-sfeervol. Ik zou de aanpak bijna melodieus willen noemen, ware het niet dat de inhoud zo enorm zwaar in de oren klinkt. Emoties als verdriet, wanhoop, zelfs een zekere gelatenheid, apathie (niet voor niets 1 van de songtitels) druipen er van af.

Met het enorm treurig klinkende Epitaf als passend slotakkoord heb ik genoten van een heerlijk sfeervol, melancholisch doomalbum. Self-Hatred verstaat de kunst om de luisteraar te grijpen met op het eerste gehoor eenvoudige middelen. Doorluisteren leert echter dat er achter de eenvoudige hoofdlijnen fraaie dingen gebeuren, zodat je als luisteraar geboeid blijft door middel van fraaie melodielijnen en andere tierlantijntjes. Aanrader voor liefhebbers van melodieuze doom!

Author: Chris van der Aa

Review
Deadly Storm

At the beginning there was the end. You should also look for the birth in death. The circle of life, darkness and cold. Grey glare whispering the help of your next path. Shiver, sadness. Slow motion of the milling leaves. Be a shadow for a while, speaker at a funeral, passing moment of eternity. The mood seems to be gloomy.

Nowadays, having a band is very difficult, like anything else. If you want to do music well then you must do more than just know how to play, have good lyrics and cover. You have to be interesting, different and exceptional. Within doom metal (with death and atmospheric black elements) it would be difficult to find a band which would be more original than those Pilsen obscurants SELF-HATRED. Of course, this band is still moving in slow melodies but at the same time they are interesting and unique.

The second album, this time with Czech lyrics, called “Hlubiny” is a continuation of the past. SELF-HATRED continues to develop their unique sense of depressed motives, sadness and slow dying. I appreciate the poetic talent of the lyricist (writing in Czech is a very difficult discipline). But mainly the moods are pumping like a river of hopelessness. The name of the album is concise. Yes, during the whole listening the band takes us on a long trip to the depths of the human souls. Coldly painful sound, recurring motifs, all cause a real sadness comparable to perhaps the coffin of a close man entering the crematorium. You cannot really describe similar music with words. It is better to listen to it, perceive it and let it pass through. SELF-HATRED will jump on the world´s peak of doom metal. I dare to say that “Hlubiny” will hurt me for a long time. At first there was a word, maybe a big bang but nobody told us anything about the end. This year´s album by SELF-HATRED might be a clue. Hear the sadness and walk in the footsteps of the shadows! Doom metal opus full of hopelessness! Great!

Rock Overdose
Βαθμολογία: 95/100

Απώλεια. Ετυμολογικά από το ρήμα ὄλλυμι (ὀλλύω). Σημασιολογικά (το ρήμα) καταστρέφω, αφανίζω, σκοτώνω, χάνω, υφίσταμαι την απώλεια. Μέσο: χάνομαι, πεθαίνω, σκοτώνομαι, καταστρέφομαι, αφανίζομαι. Ουσιαστικά κι επίθετα: Όλεθρος, ολετήρ (ο φονιάς, αυτός που καταστρέφει), πανωλεθρία, ολέθριος, πανώλεθρος (ο ολοκληρωτικά κατεστραμμένος), ολοόφρων (Αυτός που σκέφτεται το κακό), ωλεσίθυμος (αυτός που καταστρέφει την ψυχή), πολωλός (τρελός). Εξολοθρεύω, εξολοθρεμός, εξολόθρευση, απολωλαίνω. Η πιο άσχημη λέξη του κόσμου. Σε οδηγεί από τον χαμό στην τρέλα.

Απώλεια. Ένα «θέμα» που έχει προσεγγιστεί από όλες τις Τέχνες, τις Φιλοσοφίες, τις Επιστήμες, τις Μυθολογίες, τις Θρησκείες, τις Μαγείες, από εμένα κι από εσένα. Η απώλεια είναι το soundtrack της Ζωής. Συμβαίνει γύρω μας, μέσα μας, το ζούμε, το διώχνουμε, μας περιβάλλει. Είναι να απορεί κανείς πως η ανθρωπότητα, η ανθρώπινη διανόηση δηλαδή (όχι πως την εκτιμώ και πάρα πολύ) δεν έχει δώσει μια απάντηση στο γιατί; Γιατί να χάνω; Για κάθε αρχή υπάρχει ένα τέλος. Γιατί; Πως μπορώ να δεχθώ την απώλεια χωρίς να τρελαθώ; Είναι αυτό το τέλος; Ο σκοπός; Ο σατανιασμένος Αριστοτέλης «μας» δίδαξε πως τέλος είναι ο σκοπός μιας πράξης. Αυτός είναι ο σκοπός του ανθρώπου; Ο χαμός; Όχι. Σκοπός είναι η δημιουργία.

Οι Self-Hatred δημιουργούν. Δεν τους θεοποιώ για κανέναν λόγο. Τους χρησιμοποιώ. Δείχνουν (μαζί με άλλους) πως υπάρχουν και αυτοί οι άνθρωποι που δεν τελειώνουν, δεν χάνονται. Που στο πέρασμά τους αφήνουν τις δημιουργίες τους. Που οι πράξεις τους είχαν κάποιο σκοπό.

Hlubiny. Βάθη. Οι Τσέχοι Self-Hatred προσεγγίζουν κι αυτοί το θέμα της απώλειας συνθετικά και στιχουργικά παραδίδοντας άλλο ένα death metal αριστούργημα μετά το καταπληκτικό ντεμπούτο τους “Theia” πριν από δύο χρόνια. Ένα παράδειγμα ολοκληρωμένου δίσκου προς μίμηση. To “Hlubiny” ανήκει στο αγαπημένο μου είδος άλμπουμ: αυτών που ακούγονται από την αρχή ως το τέλος. Κάθε φορά. Δεν υπάρχει τίποτα περιττό σε αυτόν τον δίσκο. Τα πρώτα τριάντα δευτερόλεπτα απόκοσμων μοιρολογιών δίνουν το στίγμα αυτού που ακολουθεί για τον ψυχισμό σου.

Ο δίσκος ξεκινάει με το ”Τέλος” (”Konec”). Στίχοι καλογραμμένοι. Δυναμικά φωνητικά, από τα καλύτερα death που κυκλοφορούν, ήδη από την αρχή με black τσιριχτά που για κανένα λόγο δεν είναι υπερβολικά. Μελωδίες και riffs που σου μένουν στο μυαλό. Τύμπανα που ρυθμίζουν τους χτύπους τις καρδιάς σου. Ατμόσφαιρα εφάμιλλη των παλιών καλών Paradise Lost. Αυτά χαρακτηρίζουν ολόκληρο τον δίσκο. Από την αρχή ως το τέλος. Τα Τσέχικα, για όποιον έχει ιδέα από τους θεούς του black metal Master’s Hammer, δεν θα ξενίσουν. Στα θετικά το saxomophone, ένα όργανο που με έκανε να εκτιμήσω τους Carpathian Forest μέσα από black metal κομματάρες όπως το “Cold Comfort” και “Cold Murderous Music”.

Το “Hlubiny”, κατά την άποψή μου είναι ένας δίσκος που πρέπει να ακούσει κανείς. Ίσως και να ξανακούσει. Για μένα σίγουρα μέσα στους 10 καλύτερους metal δίσκους της χρονιάς ως τώρα.

Για το Rock Overdose,

Acliff

Review
Antichrist Magazine
8.9/10
11.06.2018

To be honest, I haven’t really listened to much ‘Death/doom’ despite being a fan of early Katatonia. My interest in the other extreme genres of metal never really enabled me to dive into this niche of extreme music. So, when I got my hands on this album I wasn’t really sure what to expect, but rather decided to give it a try based on my remembrance of Katatonia. And boy was this a pleasant surprise. Self-Hatred provides an atmospheric and emotional record, which uses hunting and soothing melodies mixed with tortured vocals to invoke a sense of pleasant yet desolate impact on listeners that will sure make them come back for more.

Self-Hatred is a band from Czech Republic, and all their lyrics are in their own language, although the dark and depressive themes are almost palpable even to foreign ears. But as a matter of fact, this album is all about the music, which doesn’t hold back anything for foreign listeners. The sense of strong emotions is present all throughout the album. Use of melodic guitars and keyboards creates an atmosphere of doom and dread, and the typical yet appropriate implementation of deep death vocals, which are often chilly and tortured add a further layer upon the experience.

The production is clean and crisp, which is a plus cause anything too edgy might have deducted points in my book. The song-writing shows a level of maturity and musicianship that is quite a feat for such a young band. There is an abundance of heavy doom riffs, operatic sections of synths, some acoustic guitars, and also spoken words complementing the music. The vocals have some apparent black influences and the music at times even reaches the range of funeral doom which rather again can be attributed to the incredible scope of these talented artists.

There are almost no negatives to discuss here, only except maybe be the length, which is a bit short for my liking. I also would have loved a bit more use of clean vocals and acoustics. But what is on offer here is a passionate and emotional ride through a dark and melancholic landscape. These people can play their instruments very well and knows what they are aiming at.

The highlights for me here would be the opener ‘Konnec’, ‘Odraz’, ‘Hlubiny’, ‘Strepy’ and the ending track ‘Epitaf’. The heavier track ‘Strepy’ followed by equally punchy ‘Vzplanuti’ delivers just the required push after such a deeply melancholic first half and the beautifully emotional ‘Epitaf’ closes the record on a high note inviting the listeners to immediately dive in for a replay.

I will definitely be eager to listen to what this band has to offer in the future, cause there is much to love here for any fans of death/doom and fans of emotional metal as well.

Author: Rakib Khan