Publicists love to throw around oft over-used adjectives such as "inspiration", "innovative", "one-of-a-kind", "ground-breaking", "revolutionary", "abstractionist"... yadda, yadda, yadda. But, more often than not, this type of supplementary linguistic mining comes across as being unnecessarily depreciatory and reductive. If any band deserves a reprieve from this all-too-common practice it is Florida's HATE ETERNAL, and their latest album entitled Phoenix Amongst The Ashes. In fact, band mainman Erik Rutan and crew have unintentionally eschewed each of the aformentioned vainglorious descriptors and created something that feels like a genuine, honest-to-goodness "evolution" of the genre (cut me some slack here... it's impossible to not use at least one of these terms in a review). That said, this evolution would not have been possible without Rutan cultivating necessary skills through his avocational forays in Morbid Angel and Ripping Corpse. Certainly no one would argue that Hate Eternal share an intangible and cosmic connection with the aforementioned bands, particularly with that of the mighty MA; though, one might have a solid argument to the contrary as it concerns the band's less-than-spectacular back catalogue. Having suffered through the sub-par production of 2008's Fury & Flames (an album rendered completely unintelligible by wall-of-sound low-end), it was with trepidation that I approached Hate Eternal's latest effort. Upon initial spin, it was immediately evident that Rutan, an accomplished sound engineer, had toned things down considerably. Song's such as 'Thorns Of Acacia' and 'Hatesworn' are given ample room with which to move and breath. Unencumbered by vertigo-inducing cacophony, listeners are finally privy to the band's natural talent of layering elements of no-holds-barred brutality with complex-yet-catchy compositional structures. With Phoenix Amongst The Ashes, Hate Eternal have managed to create a single, epic piece of work that naturally shifts into distinctly audible movements yet manages to feel like a cohesive whole. If asked to make a comparison, then I'd be inclined to say that the Hate Eternal of 2011 has much more in common with the mighty BEHEMOTH (both in structure and production) than that of the MORBID ANGEL stylings of the band's past work. Considering what I've heard of the new MA, this is definitely a good thing!