One of Greece's best-kept secrets, HATE MANIFESTO formed in 2003 but, so far, have an extremely sparse discography. However, what they lack in quantity, they more than double-up on in quality. To Those Who Glorified Death, their debut album from 2017 - which HELTER SKELTER rereleased on a worldwide scale in early 2018 - displayed the shockingly extreme force with which HATE MANIFESTO could create their whirlwind of martial black/death. In 2019 came the aptly titled Herald of Triumph EP, which fully displayed the armament of their potential. Comprising four fierce 'n' fiery tracks in a swift 'n' decisive 17 minutes, Herald of Triumph was full-on shock & awe - CRUSH, KILL, DESTROY - with HATE MANIFESTO's chosen weapons being the iron-fisted surge of black metal and the muscular swarm of death metal, all rendered in rich, devastating tones. Of course, none of this should've come as a surprise given that the band is yet another work of the extremely prolific W.S.P., who also numbers such HELTER SKELTER cults as CAEDES CRUENTA, BLACK BLOOD INVOCATION, and WALPURGIA among many others. Now W.S.P. returns HATE MANIFESTO to the front with the full-length ?????????, and he's joined by drum-god Simon "Bloodhammer" Schilling (MARDUK, EUCHARIST). Picking up the pieces left behind by Herald of Triumph - or rather, the wreckage from the battlefield - ????????? ("Apostate" in English) is an immediately obliterating spin. Across eight songs in 38 minutes, the duo continue to create a martial sort of black/death that's strict, cruel, and caustic. Is it "blackened death metal" or even "deathened black metal"? Appellations matter not when faced with this sort of iron-fisted attack, for its strength lies in the songwriting: W.S.P.'s riffs flow like acidic mercury, and Schilling's drums race with deft dynamics. Indeed, for however harsh and austere HATE MANIFESTO's aesthetic is here, there's a remarkably streamlined sensibility that lends infinite memorability to ????????? - and repeatability, as you'll be compelled to press "play" and submit to their onslaught again and again. And when the rare burst of guitar solos come in? MADNESS! Simultaneously classic and modern, HATE MANIFESTO continue their campaign of cruelty with ?????????!
