“Destroy what makes you broken“ once sang Rio Reiser with Ton Steine Scherben.
Times have changed since then, not for the better, and so the logical consequence is to now shout out loud:
“Destroy what has long been broken“.
This is the title of the new album by HATE.
One of the oldest German punk bands still in existence, who follow up their 2014 album “Kacktus“ (the review of this album can be read at ramtatta.de under the link https://www.ramtatta.de/s/reviews/f/details/id/6530/) with “Destroy what has long been broken“.
I discovered HATE in my younger years and have followed the band's work ever since. There have been highs, there have been lows, but one thing has always been true about HATE; authentically different.
HATE has always done their own thing. They play when they want to play. Thus, they are rarely seen at large punk rock festivals and unfortunately have never had the success they deserve. This is probably because they are who they are. HATE has a very unique style that has never been copied. This style is expressed in a rather simple, very powerful music. A style that hits hard. Moreover, the lyrics of HATE are simply very distinctive. Very direct, very understandable, and always to the point. No compromises are made, no digging into the wound, they stick their fist in and pull out everything there is. Most of the time, that’s not something good.
After so many years, one might assume that there are slowly no more topics for a German punk band to address. Far from it. Even though there are certainly topics that are still unfortunately relevant (Nazis, oppression to name just two), HATE continually finds their own angles that make the band's lyrics feel fresh and current. This is a great strength of the band.
Unfortunately, it is also the farewell album of singer Tommy Sohns.
Tommy is stepping down due to health issues. This is very, very, very, very, very sad. Tommy has always been the voice of HATE for me. Tommy was the one who stood on stage and sang the lyrics into the microphone with a relentlessness that I have not seen in any other band since.
Maybe Friedemann from COR can reach Tommy, but Friedemann is different. Let's stick with Tommy. He was so present on stage, so angry, so to the point, that one sometimes had to be afraid. Here was someone who was convinced of what he was singing. I wish you all the best for the future, Tommy.
The 16 songs on the album are played in the typical style of HATE.
It is a broadside against the conditions in Germany, against the system we live in...against the topics that occupy (or should occupy) us daily, such as the right-wing plague in this country, consumption, church, fur wearers, gentrification, digitalization, unemployment office, and the old times that were so good that we like to remember them.
“Destroy what has long been broken“ might even be better than “Kacktus“.
A worthy farewell from Tommy and a statement from a band that has something to say and has been doing so for over 40 years!
“Destroy what has long been broken“ sounds fresh, angry, just as punk should be!!
