This Polish grind act’s second album has been out since September 2019 but has only just hit Ave Noctum nearly a year later which is a shame because it is a truly gargantuan grindcore release. Since then the band has released a split with compatriots Nuclear Holocaust which I can tell you is also a formidable slab of grind as well as I listened to that plus the bands entire back catalogue and there isn’t a weak release.

I could name a raft of bands that sound similar to Straight Hate from old acts like Napalm Death and Rotten Sound to newer bands like Unborn Suffer or Looking For An Answer but what Straight Hate are about is authentic hard as nails grindcore, no trickery no fucking around with subgenres like mathgrind, goregrind, etc this is politicised grindcore as it should be, detonating tracks that peel your skin and pulverise your bones as the demolition begins with ‘Pawns In The Game’ and immediately you are submerged in that expected cavernous guitar sound where the cool catchy riff gives way to the blasted drums and vicious vocals. ‘Meaningless Trash’ follows in quick succession with its bass riff opening and drum fill as listeners will feel like they’re listening to a Terrorizer tune here due that grisly style.

‘Fuck Division’ is awesome as the double kick loading hints at the death metal tenets making the track catchy before the expected blasted foray before another very cool catchy opening piece starts ‘Uncontrolled Hypertension’ where the savage vocals produce their rabidity suggesting Napalm Death like traits. The dense barrage of ‘Turn On Thinking is blast beat loaded before the riff and cymbal smash charge of ‘Patostream’ has that proper old school grind execution that we all love. The momentum in the middle section of the album is massive as ‘Above The Law’, the title track and ‘Lost In Greed’ are utterly relentless with the latter possessing a hardcore like prowess similar to the likes of Unborn Suffer as normality resumes on ‘Degraded Modern Society’. This is a one groove infested beast similar to the likes Squash Bowels where this bands drummer used to reside. The annihilating battery of ‘Bastard’ is awesome as the bass riff break is purist grindcore bliss as the guitar distortion insertion leads into the blasted destruction.

The sludge invasion of ‘Cribe Contest’ closes the album and has a sort of tunefulness to it in a perverse sort of sense, slowing the album to a grinding halt allowing the listener to take stock of an album that is as true to grind as you could ever desire. If you’ve never heard of Straight Hate like I hadn’t then make sure you do because this Polish act play grindcore as it is supposed to be.

(9/10 Martin Harris)

https://www.facebook.com/sthtpl

https://straighthatepl.bandcamp.com/album/black-sheep-parade