Using a methodology that aligns itself slightly with
Godspeed You Black Emperor!, this band takes classical, orchestral instruments and bashes them alongside guitars and industrial-tinged effects. With the group in absolutely no hurry to conclude each song, the average tune runs at least seven to eight minutes. "Hate" has several threads working throughout, making it resemble a heavier
Meat Loaf if tutored by
GWAR or
Rob Zombie. One plus, though, is the tight rhythm and quasi-electro backbeat, which is infectious. This clashing of genres is quite alluring as "Nailed" starts off like
Korn before evolving into a combination of
Evanescence and
System of a Down. Unfortunately, the drawback is how deliberate each portion is, resulting in some moments that are truly needless and more filler than anything else. It's at best a case of poor self-editing, or possibly theatrical angst on the other hand. This is exemplified by "Deviate," as angelic
Thom Yorke-like vocals are haphazardly melded with seedier growls. It's ethereal meets brawn with paltry results. "Congregate" has some of the album's best portions as an electro-based foundation rides in tandem with a harsher metal guitar solo. The band is also able to keep the song galloping along for a lengthy jaunt.
The Project Hate MCMXCIX bite off far more than they can chew during the 12-minute "Burn," which sinks fast and is never able to recover. And the peak moments of "Eliminate" are embedded in lengthier depths, as lead vocalist Jörgen Sandström tries to paint a dark picture but the slick, glossy production makes it all for naught. A grandiose, synth-layered coda entitled "Weep" features Emperor Magus Caligula on vocals, but this otherwise bland melancholia has been executed by far better bands. It's an album that is perhaps too pretentious for its own good. ~ Jason MacNeil