Review by George Stiglic on April 6, 2025.

Slaughter, carnage, stabs, cuts — these are the words I would use to describe the music of the Greek band Nihilism.

I must say, I’m rather skeptical about “dissonant” bands. But, when I heard Nihilism, I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the music. Yes, ugly, grotesque music can be high-quality and memorable. This is proven by the album Cataclysme Vers l'ascendance. The album starts fast and dynamic — like a punch in the face to god. No tedious preludes. It immediately bursts into an unstoppable blast beat with the harshest chords, no tremolo. Then follows a barrage of melodic dissonances. And here, everything is thought out with mathematical precision, the author knows what he is doing.

There’s no randomness — this is controlled chaos. I’ve always said that in music before you break a rule, you need to know it. Tritone, minor second, chromaticisms — all this will assault the ears of an unprepared listener. Broken rhythms, tempo changes, speed alternating with pauses. I want to note that the author works very well with silence, when the guitar storm suddenly halts for a fraction of a second, only to explode back at the listener. Probably, 90% of the typical metal guitar techniques are present on this album: harmonics, palm muting, tremolo, and much more. The relatively few melodic moments are especially effective and striking. My favorite moment in the song 'Cataclysme Vers l'ascendance VI' is when, between the grotesque, ugly riff, there is a moment of silence followed by an astonishing melody.

I suspect the influence of the French band Deathspell Omega on the author’s work, at least I detected something similar to their album "Si Monvmentvm Reqvires". Personally, I prefer the first two albums of this French legend, and the last album I can listen to with some enjoyment is Si Monvmentvm. What the band started doing after that, I’ve heard little of and didn’t like. So, the similarity is based on a comparison with their third album.

Overall, despite the fact that Nihilism's music is based on harmonies that could have led to being burned at the stake in the Middle Ages, it’s all captivating and immersive. This is what composer's talent and knowledge of the rules mean.

Rating: 9.5 out of 10

Review by Jack on November 21, 2002.

I am usually not one for the arts of pure death metal. It’s incessant, monotonous and for most of the time, very boring. A lot has been said of Hate Eternal and their newest album “King of All Kings” (it got KKKKK in Kerrang!, which is certainly saying something). However, the majority of critique for “King of All Kings” has been nothing but admiration. Much of this excitement has been nothing but pure hype and bandwagon supporting, I am sure. “King of All Kings” is undoubtedly a very good album, but it certainly doesn’t reach the greatness that some willingly attribute to it.

The trio of Anderson, Roddy and Rutan certainly know their stuff; there is no doubting that. Countless years in some of the biggest known acts (you all know of whom I am speaking) have assured us that Hate Eternal will be nothing less than a band that creates sparkling death metal albums time and time again. They are simply too professional to do otherwise. Derek ‘One Take’ Roddy’s drumming is absolutely superb and he continually beats the skins without any lapse for the entire duration of “King of All Kings”. Rutan’s vocals are devastating and morbid, suiting the atmosphere and lyrics of Hate Eternal perfectly. The bass guitar work of Jared Anderson is as consistent and vigil as ever, providing a perfect underlay to the shredding of the aforementioned Rutan on guitar.

Notice how I am not really enthusiastic about this record? ”King of All Kings” a very good record, don’t get me wrong, but it doesn’t fill the emptiness inside me that I guess I was hoping it would do. It’s proficient, reliable death metal, but it’s really not much more.

Bottom Line: If you are into death metal and most extreme brands of metal, you could probably pick up ”King of All Kings” in a heartbeat. However, if you more accustomed to the more obscure takes on death sound, then perhaps I might advise you try before you buy. While this album might be discussed as a classic for many millennia to come, it’s not the sort of hat that fits every head.

Categorical Rating Breakdown

Musicianship: 9
Atmosphere: 8
Production: 7
Originality: 7
Overall: 6.5

Rating: 7.5 out of 10

Review by George Stiglic on April 6, 2025.

Slaughter, carnage, stabs, cuts — these are the words I would use to describe the music of the Greek band Nihilism.

I must say, I’m rather skeptical about “dissonant” bands. But, when I heard Nihilism, I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the music. Yes, ugly, grotesque music can be high-quality and memorable. This is proven by the album Cataclysme Vers l'ascendance. The album starts fast and dynamic — like a punch in the face to god. No tedious preludes. It immediately bursts into an unstoppable blast beat with the harshest chords, no tremolo. Then follows a barrage of melodic dissonances. And here, everything is thought out with mathematical precision, the author knows what he is doing.

There’s no randomness — this is controlled chaos. I’ve always said that in music before you break a rule, you need to know it. Tritone, minor second, chromaticisms — all this will assault the ears of an unprepared listener. Broken rhythms, tempo changes, speed alternating with pauses. I want to note that the author works very well with silence, when the guitar storm suddenly halts for a fraction of a second, only to explode back at the listener. Probably, 90% of the typical metal guitar techniques are present on this album: harmonics, palm muting, tremolo, and much more. The relatively few melodic moments are especially effective and striking. My favorite moment in the song 'Cataclysme Vers l'ascendance VI' is when, between the grotesque, ugly riff, there is a moment of silence followed by an astonishing melody.

I suspect the influence of the French band Deathspell Omega on the author’s work, at least I detected something similar to their album "Si Monvmentvm Reqvires". Personally, I prefer the first two albums of this French legend, and the last album I can listen to with some enjoyment is Si Monvmentvm. What the band started doing after that, I’ve heard little of and didn’t like. So, the similarity is based on a comparison with their third album.

Overall, despite the fact that Nihilism's music is based on harmonies that could have led to being burned at the stake in the Middle Ages, it’s all captivating and immersive. This is what composer's talent and knowledge of the rules mean.

Rating: 9.5 out of 10

Review by Jack on November 21, 2002.

I am usually not one for the arts of pure death metal. It’s incessant, monotonous and for most of the time, very boring. A lot has been said of Hate Eternal and their newest album “King of All Kings” (it got KKKKK in Kerrang!, which is certainly saying something). However, the majority of critique for “King of All Kings” has been nothing but admiration. Much of this excitement has been nothing but pure hype and bandwagon supporting, I am sure. “King of All Kings” is undoubtedly a very good album, but it certainly doesn’t reach the greatness that some willingly attribute to it.

The trio of Anderson, Roddy and Rutan certainly know their stuff; there is no doubting that. Countless years in some of the biggest known acts (you all know of whom I am speaking) have assured us that Hate Eternal will be nothing less than a band that creates sparkling death metal albums time and time again. They are simply too professional to do otherwise. Derek ‘One Take’ Roddy’s drumming is absolutely superb and he continually beats the skins without any lapse for the entire duration of “King of All Kings”. Rutan’s vocals are devastating and morbid, suiting the atmosphere and lyrics of Hate Eternal perfectly. The bass guitar work of Jared Anderson is as consistent and vigil as ever, providing a perfect underlay to the shredding of the aforementioned Rutan on guitar.

Notice how I am not really enthusiastic about this record? ”King of All Kings” a very good record, don’t get me wrong, but it doesn’t fill the emptiness inside me that I guess I was hoping it would do. It’s proficient, reliable death metal, but it’s really not much more.

Bottom Line: If you are into death metal and most extreme brands of metal, you could probably pick up ”King of All Kings” in a heartbeat. However, if you more accustomed to the more obscure takes on death sound, then perhaps I might advise you try before you buy. While this album might be discussed as a classic for many millennia to come, it’s not the sort of hat that fits every head.

Categorical Rating Breakdown

Musicianship: 9
Atmosphere: 8
Production: 7
Originality: 7
Overall: 6.5

Rating: 7.5 out of 10