Hate Eternal — I, Monarch

intothewellsabyss
Jun 27, 2023
3 min read

𝐅𝐑𝐎𝐌 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐂𝐑𝐘𝐏𝐓𝐒 - 𝐂𝐄𝐋𝐄𝐁𝐑𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐏𝐀𝐒𝐓 𝐀𝐋𝐁𝐔𝐌 𝐑𝐄𝐋𝐄𝐀𝐒𝐄𝐒 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐇𝐈𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐑𝐘 𝐨𝐟 𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐃 𝐑𝐎𝐂𝐊 & 𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐕𝐘 𝐌𝐄𝐓𝐀𝐋…

18 years ago today, we witnessed “The Victorious Reign” over “The Plague of Humanity”!

On this day (June 27) 2005, Hate Eternal released their third full-length studio album, “I, Monarch” via Earache Records.

Background:

2004 saw Hate Eternal begin work on the follow-up to “King of All Kings”, entitled “I, Monarch”. Recording began in the fall, and the album would eventually be released in June 2005. Hailed by critics and fans alike, the album added new percussion elements to their extreme metal sound while retaining the elements of speed and brutality that dominate the genre.

After an internally difficult US tour over the summer of 2005 and with a number of pending business problems, the group cancelled their European tour, scheduled for the fall. After spending much of the winter dealing with internal differences and personal situations, Roddy announced his departure from Hate Eternal in late March 2006.

Critical Reception:

“I, Monarch” was well received by music critics and Metal magazines at home and abroad. AllMusic rates the album 4 stars out of 5, while Kerrang! rated it 5 full stars. And Zero Tolerance gave “I, Monarch” 4 out of 5 stars, while Metal Hammer rates it 8 out 10 stars.

In her review for Exclaim!, published on June 1, 2005, Jill Mikkelson wrote;

“Three years after “King of All Kings” and six after their debut, “Conquering the Throne”, Hate Eternal have decided to continue on their thematic journey to the ranks of blaspheming royalty. “I, Monarch” sees the return of this three-piece led by ex-Morbid Angel guitarist Erik Rutan reigning in all the brutality that characterised their previous efforts. Unexpected twists and turns relentlessly appear throughout a continuously pummelling and thunderous cochlear assault. The complexity added to persistent thrashing makes this album remarkable. They invoke eclectic and technical riffs over constantly morphing beats instead of just playing off tired tremolo and boring blasts. The record is immediately reminiscent of their previous works. For the most part, it's the same light-speed attack with a cocky guitar solo placed somewhere near the end of the song. The exception to this comes with a peculiar Euro-prog instrumental that closes the album. Hate Eternal are recognisable based on their own merits, which is more than most extreme Death Metal bands can say, so their lack of progress is forgivable.”

While, in a review for AllMusic, Stewart Mason stated;

“The third album by Erik Rutan's post-Morbid Angel project Hate Eternal may be the singer/guitarist's purest achievement, if not his best. “I, Monarch” is 40 minutes of distilled essence of Death Metal, with Rutan's Cookie Monster vocals declaiming crypto-religious S&M lyrics over his own hypnotically repetitive riffs and flashy, technically excellent solos, while a close-to-inaudible bassist and the superhuman blastbeat drummer Derek Roddy hurtle along at near-impossible speeds behind him. Those who love this sort of thing will be in awe, not least because Rutan manages to include a few actual tunes (or at least refrains) alongside the jackhammer throb. Those whose tolerance for Death Metal is lower should nonetheless at least stay for the end; the instrumental "Faceless One" is something of a breakthrough, and the best song on the album by some distance. After nine tracks that whiz past in a Death Metal blur, Rutan slows the tempo here incrementally, but just enough to allow himself and Roddy the breathing room to show off hitherto speed-obscured aspects of their playing. Roddy in particular comes off exceedingly well; he may be the best drummer in the entire subgenre. If Rutan chose to explore this variation on what's becoming a well-worn theme, Hate Eternal might be on to something interesting.”

Links to Artists, Albums, and Music Videos:

Click this link to listen to “I, Monarch” via Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/album/i-monarch/258610265

Click this link to listen to “I, Monarch” via Spotify:

Click this link to watch the official music video for “I, Monarch”: https://youtu.be/fO_FutBvDh8

Click this link to watch the official music video for “The Victorious Reign”: https://youtu.be/WdPDz3MVd6Y

Click this link to follow Hate Eternal on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Hate.Eternal

Note: The reviews shared here are for historical reference. The views and opinions expressed within are not always supported (in full or in part) by Into the Wells. — E.N. Wells

Hate Eternal — I, Monarch

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