Hateplow

The Only Law is Survival (Pavement)
by Tim Den

I’ve always wanted to like Hate Plow. After all, Rob Barrett (ex-Solstice [the Miami one, the real thing, not all the other copy cats], ex-Cannibal Corpse, currently Malevolent Creation) is a personal hero of mine, and I’ve always loved Malevolent Creation (whose guitarist and master mind, Phil Fasciana, leads Hate Plow). But there’s something missing from The Only Law is Survival, just like their debut. It’s not that I’m against grinding fast riffs… just not a whole record of ’em. Mixing it up with tempo changes isn’t against the rules, so I’m wondering why these talented boys didn’t realize that. I know they’re sick of all the mutations that’ve plagued the death metal genre (in other words, musicians getting better and expanding the genre with experimentation), but writing uninspired tornadoes doesn’t really save the scene either. Maybe they’re saving their better stuff for their other bands?
(PO Box 50550 Phoenix, AZ 85076)