When it comes to blackened death metal, a band needs to stand out from the rest of the crowd if it’s going to impress people given how saturated the subgenre has become in recent years. If there’s no factor that sets you apart from Generic Blackened Death Metal Band #453, you’re not really going to go anywhere. Enter Hadit. This Italian band, formerly on Sentient Ruin with their debut album With Joy and Ardour Through the Incommensurable Path, now find themselves on I, Voidhanger for their sophomore album. In addition to a new label, Hadit have also been joined by none other than Gabriele Gramaglia, excellent sound engineer and musician (Cosmic Putrefaction, Vertebra Atlantis, others). With these new tools, are Hadit able to make a name for themselves, or will this be another album to fall into the swamp?
Production wise, this album rocks. There’s a warm sound overall, giving it a similar vibe to albums by Cosmic Putrefaction. Gramaglia on bass here is a fantastic addition, because all throughout the album, the bass is the standout instrument. The focus thus leans towards the bass, as underneath the riffs there’s a constant flow of bass noodling, which is not common for this style of usually caustic metal. The first three tracks are strong, with highlight “Becoming the Light Eternally Driving on the Photon Sphere” setting an impressive opening with catchy riffs and frontman XN’s gnarled vocal performance. Yet, after these songs, the album takes a tumble and loses momentum with “Screaming from the Throat of a Reversed Light Being”. This track is bloated, overlong, and not interesting enough to justify the seven minute runtime, however the bass solo outro saves it from total collapse.
Unfortunately, the rest of the album suffers as a result, with most of the remaining tracks blending together to create a forgettable back half. Thankfully, the final track, “Del tramonto sul nulla, dove fuoco diventa Cielo”, saves the album from being a complete dud, but it takes its sweet time getting there. I’m conflicted by this album. On the one hand, there’s a competent performance throughout, with no truly bad moments; on the other, it’s much too long overall, and could be trimmed down to facilitate a more interesting listening experience. Perhaps Metaphysical Engines Approaching the Event Horizon is transitional, and they’ll tighten up the performance on album three.
