Waves Of Hate is the second EP from the Finnish death/black metal band Solacide (since changing their name from Dim Moonlight), and what an offering it is! Three tracks of pure aggression, followed by two bonus live tracks recorded in 2010, this is an EP that doesn’t hold back.
Title track Waves Of Hate starts things off well, opening with a memorable riff that runs nicely into the main body of the track. The drums in the chorus are utterly fantastic and the guitar solo is magnificent – that a way to get the EP off to an awesome start! It was a little odd to hear it fade away at the end, however, it almost felt like the band weren’t quite sure how to end it so instead faded it away, which didn’t quite work.
Your Worst Enemy kept things moving nicely, instantly starting with a great bit of aggressive vocals backed up nicely by the rest of the band. Whilst the track is a little repetitive at times due to the length, and fades away at the end like the previous track, it is an overall great number and really shows what this band is capable of.
The final studio recording of the EP, After The Fall, shows a softer side to the band, featuring some clean vocals and a somewhat gentler tone, even amidst the noisier sections! The continuous wall of guitars is very impressive and it’s nice to have a section to have a bit of a sing-a-long to in amongst the screamed vocals! The track comes to a satisfying close with some nicely simplistic acoustic guitar that is similar to the introduction, and is a good way to bring things to an end.
The inclusion of two live tracks, God On Fire and Nothing Weak Survives is a nice touch, because it lets the listener know what it’s like to see this band in a live environment. The band have a great live sound and it shows they have definitely put a lot of work into their live performances, which is definitely an achievement to be proud of. It’s also great for the listeners who may not be able to fly out to Finland in order to catch them live (i.e. us!).
Overall, Waves Of Hate is a great little EP and it will be interesting to see where Solacide will go next.
8/10
