Self-Hatred – Hlubiny (Review)

Self-Hatred are from the Czech Republic and this is their second album. They play death/doom metal.

Hlubiny is the follow up to 2016’s very enjoyable Theia, which I really liked for its contemporary take on the death/doom style. On Hlubiny the band have continued to develop and refine their sound, resulting in 42 minutes of material that sees them at their towering, monolithic best.

Hlubiny really is a rich and textured album. The band have crafted an emotive slab of atmospheric doom, taking influence from aspects of death metal, funeral doom, and even a touch of atmospheric black metal on occasion. All of this, coupled with the band’s modern delivery, means that Self-Hatred continue to stand out from a lot of their peers who are playing ostensibly similar music.

The band seem more assured than ever on this release, and their songwriting skills have advanced along with this greater confidence. The music they have crafted on Hlubiny uses melodically-charged emotion as a base for its expressive conceptual story, and builds around this with the aforementioned musical styles to create well-formed atmospheric doom that’s very satifying to listen to.

The band’s use of keyboard enhancements, blackened elements, and modern edge, along with a relatively diverse range of vocals, all contribute to the effectiveness of these songs.

The album has a varied and layered delivery, with plenty of rich content to enjoy for the listener. The fully ingrained atmospheric and emotive aspects of the music are omnipresent, making for an affecting and engaging collection of tracks. Well-written, expertly delivered, and extremely effective, it’s great to see a band as obviously talented as Self-Hatred are put out a second album that’s even better than their very enjoyable first.

Very highly recommended.