When it comes to death metal, Morbid Angel are truly the kings. Erik Rutan planned to challenge the throne and become “King Of All Kings” on the new Hate Eternal album. Now that he left Morbid Angel to focus completely on Hate Eternal, he knew he had to release something that was not good but REALLY good, as metal heads usually tend to be loyal to their kings. And he has certainly succeeded in “Conquering The Throne” of extremity with this “King Of All Kings”. People familiar with the work and style of Rutan will easily recognize the riffs and solos. To put it this way; he took the experience and vision of Morbid Angel and took it to another level of aggression. No mid-tempo interludes or introspective passages here; just steaming madness and hate. The album starts off with an incantation of some sort, played backwards with lots of effects and creepy sounds. Immediately after, the title-track “King Of All Kings” rips through your speakers. And when I say rip, I really mean rip! The production must be one of the most extreme that I have ever listened to.

If you are looking for dynamic passages, forget it! The production is completely compressed and tightly packed. It has a harsh mid sound compared to the previous album. The songs contain a lot of copyrighted Rutan riffs that tend to sing around in your head. Like the jumpy riff on “The Obscure Terror” and the pounding opening riff on “Rising Legions Of Black”. The riffs keep the album thrilling from beginning til end in spite of the lack of less hefty passages. Personally I would have kept the intro a bit shorter but if you have the booklet with lyrics it may be interesting to encrypt (if the lyrics of the intro are in there anyway). To become King of All Kings you have to have the power and will to fight against opponents and with allies. Hate Eternal may not be the Kings of (extreme) death metal yet, but they are well on their way to become heirs to the throne.